Soulmark
by Trexxer
Summary: AU, in this world a soulmark appears when both soulmates are born. Kakashi recieved his when he was going to turn 14 years old! And on top of that she is his student! How will things change between them as they both grow older?
1. Chapter 1- Soulmark with blossoms

OBS! This story will have a M rating on it but ONLY when Sakura reaches the age of eighteen! Before that there will be NO love acts.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!

PS. I am not a native English speaker so there WILL be spelling mistakes, English is not one of my best subjects, sadly.

* * *

Soulmates

This AU takes place in a world where people have soulmates and the whole purpose to live is to find your soulmate and live a peaceful life with that person. If you are wondering how a person knows who their soulmate is, it is pretty easy, it all comes down to the mark. A soulmark that everyone has on their body, or to be exact the mark that only appear when both are born, if one is born before the other their mark doesn't appear before the other is born. Therefor it can take a while for some to obtain their marks. The worst thing to happen to you is if your mark turns black, that means that your soulmate has passed away. Even if it is more common to be with your soulmate, there are still those who choose to be with someone else.

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Chapter 1: Soulmark with blossoms

Hatake Kakashi was like many others born without any mark on his body and while he grew he couldn't stop thinking about it. Sometimes as he grew up he sat in front of the mirror before going to bed and gave his body a pep-talk to finally show a mark on him but every morning after there was still nothing on him. The most common places for a mark to appear is on the face or at the torso, these places were the parts that he checked daily. He didn't want to miss anything! But as the days went by he became more unsure of himself, maybe he wasn't meant to have a soulmate,,, maybe he would be without one? That thought had started to etch into his mind more often now when he grew older, it was stupid really to feel the lump of uncertainty grow in his chest every day when he stared back at himself through the mirror.

"So Hatake, how does your mark look like?" Kakashi turned to see that little snotty Uchiha kid look at him with a sneer. At the start of the academy somehow that Obito kid had decided to make Kakashi his one and only rival which was a bit fun, especially since he was so much better at all the ninja stuff than Obito. Apparently he thought that if he couldn't defeat Kakashi with being a better ninja he could insult his soulmark, which he still does not have… but why tell that snotty kid anything like that? No that was a secret only for his friends to hear. "I bet it is ugly, I mean it has to be otherwise you wouldn't need to cover it up with that damn mask."

Before Kakashi could say something in defence the Uchiha kid got smacked in the head by Rin. "How dare you talk to Kakashi-kun that way. Obito, you and I both know that it isn't nice to bully someone." Rin told her friend and then she turned to apologise. "You know that he didn't mean it Kakashi-kun and if he did, he **will** tell you that he is sorry." She turned back and gave her friend a stern look.

"Hm, you are right Rin-chan, it is not nice to bully someone but still I mean it must be ugly for him to hide behind his mask all the time." Obito muttered as Rin gave his arm a slight hug. "Okay, okay I am sorry Kakashi." It really didn't look like the dark-haired boy was sorry but Kakashi let it drop, he didn't want to upset their only female teammate. She could be so dramatic sometimes. "I bet yours are wonderful Rin." With this Kakashi had to roll his eyes, he knew as well as everyone else that Obito had a huge crush on Rin and would do anything to see her soulmark especially since she kept it hidden all the time. She had told them that she didn't want her soulmate to fall in love with her just because the mark but for who she was. Obito had his mark right over his heart, which Kakashi once had noticed when the highly energetic boy decided to bath in a freezing cold lake. A stupid idea! But nonetheless he had seen it, a rectangular mark with roses inside of it. It actually looked pretty romantic in some sort of way but Kakashi would NEVER tell his teammate that EVER!

Kakashi sighed as he heard the people in front of him talk about the soulmarks they had on them. It was a bit annoying to hear speculations to why he always kept his face hidden and to also hear about the marks that everyone seemed to have. He had girls showing him their marks every day. It felt stupid really for him to see them because he knew that neither of them would be connected to his. And it was especially hard to tell them that his didn't look like that and then have to stand there and try to escape from their interrogation. No, he would rather be hated and left alone. He hated it,, to have to answer questions he didn't even have an answer for. He hated it! He also wanted to have a mark, to be able to answer the fangirls with the truth instead of some lies.

"Son, you don't have to be upset. Your soulmate hasn't been born yet, it is as simple as that." His father said one time when they sat around their table and were enjoying a quiet meal of ramen. Kakashi raised his head a bit to look at his father, how was someone like his dad ever going to understand him? He had gotten his mark when he was just two years old and met Kakashi's mother when he was nine. No, it wasn't fair. Kakashi would soon be turning nine and he still hadn't received a mark.

"Dad, if my soulmate isn't born soon I will end up being a pervert." Kakashi muttered as he tried his best to twirl noodles on his chopsticks.

"Oh, and why is that son?" His father was clearly amused by his son's statement and waited patiently while Kakashi tried to push down a blush that had started to spread over his cheeks.

"We-well, you know,, I would be so much older than my soulmate and you know, what if,, she doesn't like me for being older than her?" Even if it hurt to finally tell his father the truth it still felt like a stone had lifted from Kakashi's chest. He felt a lighter at the knowledge that he had finally told someone his most inner fear. While his classmates were out finding their soulmates, he was still sitting there without a mark on his body. And he feared that it would continue like that for the rest of his life. One lesson they had at the academy had been about a woman who never received her soulmark and wound up being alone for the rest of her life. Maybe that would be his future, being alone forever.

But his father only laughed at his son's remark. "If that person is your soulmate I doubt that there would be any comments on your age. No, if she is meant for you she would only tell you how handsome you are." And with a slight blush spreading on his cheeks Kakashi continued to eat his food while listening to his father telling him stories about his youth and finding Kakashi's mother.

* * *

At the year of Kakashi's fourteen birthday he had almost given up at ever receiving a mark. He had joined the ANBU right after he was left alone, his father had died when he was small and both his teammates were dead. So, joining the ANBU had felt like a perfect choice. He was now on his way on improving every single attack he could think about. The death of Rin was still fresh in his mind as he fought every day for his survival. It felt nice being a member of the ANBU, be given orders and missions on a daily basis. His ninken had already gotten used to his newer teammates and was now a part of the ANBU just like the other ninjas. Pakkun often reprimanded him about working too hard and that he should take a break once in a while.

"I don't understand boss, why can't you just rest a day or two?" Pakkun asked as he strode on beside Kakashi towards the small apartment that Kakashi had started to rent when he turned twelve. He hated to be in his family home so he had taken the first chance he got to move out. The house was still owned by Kakashi and he just couldn't sell it off. Even if he should have done just that he couldn't. He loved his mother and father too much. No, that house had been their dream when they were young and he would be heartless to sell it. So, it now stood there untouched and would surely fall apart in a few years.

"Because criminals never rest a day or two." Kakashi answered the pug who snorted at him.

"Still I think you deserve it, plus think about the others. You always take the highest paying jobs. Can't you give someone else a chance?" Pakkun barked out. That was correct, he did take the highest paying jobs but not for the reasons other might think, no he wanted missions that were hard and took a long amount of time to finish just to have his mind on something. The worst thing for him was to let his mind wander, he would only remember the horrible things he had done. No, it was better to be focusing on a job than sitting alone with his mind.

But,,,,, maybe the pug was right, spring had just arrived in Konoha and he knew that the ninkens would be occupied with well,, erhm,, the call of nature. "I will see what I can do tomorrow, but I can't promise you anything." He muttered to the dog.

"It's all I ask for." Pakkun replied with a smile.

The streets were full of people that was on their way to watch the sakura tree blossoms, they had just started to bloom this morning. It was almost magical how it had happened when he thought about it. He had walked through the gates this morning, coming back from a mission and as he looked up at the trees they started to shimmer one by one in a pink glow. Why his heart had reacted to this was beyond him but still it had left him breathless for a long time. Just seeing the pink colour spread right above his head was mesmerizing. Wonderful!

"So, I will see you tomorrow to give you the news." Kakashi told the pug as he noticed the twitching little nose, probably that nature calling or something.

"Thnks boss!" Pakkun said and after just a second he was gone in a puff of smoke.

The apartment he lived in was just right for him and on the fourth floor which gave him the opportunity to walk around without his mask on without having to pull down his curtains. Well he still had the most of them down but that was just that he didn't like the sun peaking in at every moment of the day. Silently he walked around the apartment with a bottle of water in one of his hands and a book in the other. He had already planned the whole evening, he would cook a meal after he had read a chapter in his new book about ninjutsu and then he would read a bit more before going to bed. But his perfect plan was stopped as he walked pass the hallway mirror. If he hadn't been walking so slowly he would have missed it, but now he stood there staring at his neck. It was slightly masked by his silver hair that fell over it but still visible, a mark. A soulmark! He had finally received his soulmark! Kakashi dropped the book and bottle of water as he slowly went closer to the mirror on the wall. With a heart that was racing like a madman he stood with his hands on the flat surface. In the reflection, he could clearly see the mark on his neck that was positioned just below his ear and next to his jaw. It was so sweet, so perfect that he first thought he was dreaming. A perfect circle, filled with sakura blossoms and in the middle of it, there was something that resembled his clan mark. _Fuck! It cannot be happening to me now! Not now! I have just started to feel comfortable in the ANBU! Plus my soulmate has just been born,, this day,,, a newborn,, and I am soon going to be FOURTEEN. Shit, I have never heard of anyone with that age gap between them! It is just sickening to think that my soulmate is probably lying on a small bed at the hospital getting weight and stuff,,,, no so wrong!_ But even if he felt it was wrong on so many levels he just couldn't take his eyes of it. So sweet, so perfect and yet so wrong. "What should I do now?" He whispered as he continued to look at his reflection in the mirror. Somehow, he now understood that there would never be a future for him and his soulmate. Even if his father had once told him that age doesn't matter he just couldn't believe it. Slowly he reached for the mark under his ear and felt its rough texture. It was just pure luck that he had gotten it at such a place where it could be hidden, this way his soulmate would never be able to understand that he was their soulmate. This way they could meet and talk but never engage in any kind of romance, WHEN his soulmate was at the right age to even be able to be in a relationship. Urgh this was just sick…

"I am so happy for you Kakashi!" Kushina said as she poured up a glass of water for him. This was one place that he actually enjoyed being in, to listen to Kushina and Minato-sensei talk about everyday stuff. This was the place he escaped to whenever he felt alone or scared,,, even if he would never confess that to anyone. But somehow Minato-sensei understood it and invited him to their life with opened arms.

"Yeah I know how long you have waited for that mark to appear." Minato-sensei said as he took a sip from the sake his wife had given him. "This have to be celebrated!"

Blushing hard Kakashi sank into the couch and wished that he never went to his sensei's place. Why had he thrown on a shirt and rushed here was a slight mystery,, or if he was super honest it really wasn't, he didn't want to be alone that evening. Especially since he would only think negative thoughts about his soulmate. No it felt good to be able to tell someone. "It isn't necessary sensei." Kakashi started to say but got interrupted by Kushina who stood in the door way with an ecstatic expression.

"Oh! I just figured one thing out! Your soulmate will be the same age as our baby!" Kushina said and started clap her hands with joy. "Maybe they will be friends!" She went on about how fantastic this was and didn't see how her little visitor turned more and more white. _I never even thought about that! THIS IS SICK! I have been here and kept an eye on lady Kushina since the start of her pregnancy and well,,, this just made the whole thing more real. Shit!_

"Eh, sweetheart I think you should stop, Kakashi will faint if you keep talking." Minato said after noticing the slight greyish colour that had started to spread over the visible parts of Kakashi's face. Kushina threw him a stern look but after noticing it too she took a place on the couch right next to Kakashi and put her hand on his knee.

"Ne, Kakashi you don't have to worry about anything. Your soulmate will love you! And forget about age, that is just a number!" Kushina smiled the most reassuring smile she could and after she was sure that Kakashi had gotten some colour on his cheek she stood up. "So since we are celebrating tonight, what do you think about broiled saury with salt and miso soup with eggplant?" Kakashi nodded without saying anything else, he was too embarrassed to speak.

"Well if you are going to make so much food, do you want some help in the kitchen?" Minato asked.

Kushina paused a second and turned over to her husband with a stern expression. "Oh you think that only because I am pregnant I can't cook?! Is that how it is?!" She growled out as she made her way to the kitchen.

Slowly Kakashi turned his head towards his sensei how was also looking a bit pale. "I think I will help her sensei." After seeing his sensei nod slightly Kakashi made his way to the kitchen. Even if he knew that Kushina could get angry with him he still liked to help with the cooking and this was something that his sensei's wife knew all too well so when he walked into the kitchen she handed him an apron without saying anything else. Smiling a bright smile for the first time that day (no one could tell because he still had his mask on him) Kakashi started to chop up some vegetables while listening to Kushina talk about how she managed to rip apart her knitting that day. It was a bit sad to hear that, Kakashi knew better anyone how hard she had been working on that thing. And he really meant a thing, because not even Kushina herself could tell what it was supposed to be, something to the baby. Minato walked into the kitchen and gave his wife a hug and patted Kakashi on his head. This was something that had started to occur more often and it really started to feel like being in a family.

* * *

Many years went by and Kakashi felt like he had finally gotten over the death of his sensei and his sensei's wife. It had been such hard time for him and the only thing that kept him going was the many, MANY missions with the ANBU. But all things had to come to an end, the third Hokage took him off duty and forced him to become a teacher at the academy instead. Even if he wanted nothing more than decline the order he couldn't he had pledged his loyalty to Konoha and if the Hokage wanted him to be a sensei,,,, well then he just had to get used to the idea. After the death of his sensei, Kakashi had started extremely slowly to open up, but only to people that deserved it and well that weren't many. Of all his "friends", he didn't even know if he wanted to call them,,, three people knew his secret, the secret about his soulmark. He had been so shocked when neither of the three had actually reacted to the age thing, every one of them had only patted him on his back and told him that it would all work out eventually. But maybe he shouldn't have been surprised, Asuma, Genma and Gai where pretty odd people. But he would protect them with his life either way. They had told him not to worry about anything other than finally meeting his soulmate, but it was difficult, neither of them had anything to relate to in his situation. Asuma had already found his soulmate, Kurenai and had already gotten married to her. It had been such a wonderful wedding, but she had been in the spotlight to the fangirl of Asuma for quite some time afterwards. Gai had received his mark when he turned five years old and while he still hadn't met his special someone it didn't make him sad. It only spurned him further on to search for her. Last there was Genma, the man-whore of Konoha. His soulmark was actually a bit of a secret, only a few was allowed to see it and not for the reasons Kakashi had, no Genma told his friends that if a beautiful woman noticed that their marks match he would be stuck with that same person his whole life and apparently, he wasn't that kind of a man. Still Kakashi was certain that when Genma finally meets his soulmate, that the playboy would drop the sleeping around thing and stay with that person forever. No, he was certainly alone to have such a younger soulmate, which was a good thing he supposed, he never wished for anyone else to feel his sadness and heartache he had felt all these years.

"Team seven, what do you think about them Kakashi?" Genma asked as he whirled the senbon around in his mouth. The only answer he received from his friend was a grunt as he continued to read _Icha icha paradise_. The folder laid across the table just like the other teams but that one with team seven's information was the most interesting. Everyone knew that Kakashi had gotten the most difficult group. But that wasn't the thing that made Genma reach for the folder. No, it was for the fact that he knew that one of those students had been born at the same time as Kakashi's mark had appeared, on the day of March 28. So, he was a bit interested to see the person that could be Kakashi's soulmate. Slowly as to not disturb his friend he opened up the folder and was meet with three photos and some paper containing information about these three young students. As the photo of a cute pink haired girl fell out he noticed Kakashi's form twitch. A smirk was visible on Genma's lips as he looked at the photo, apparently his super smart friend had already made the connection in the timeline and the soulmark. It was almost ridiculously easy to tell that this girl could be his friends soulmate, even if it was sickening in so many ways. Not only was her pink hair a dead giveaway but also her name, Sakura! He laughed as he saw the date, the exact same day Kakashi said his mark had appeared. "So, this is girl huh?"

"Don't even think about telling anyone, or I will end you!" Kakashi muttered as he flipped one page over and continued to read.

"So, am I correct in my assumption that you will never tell her the truth?" Genma watched with a careful eye to see any changes in his friend's posture, he knew his silver haired friend all too well and knew that he would never tell anyone anything he didn't want to. That and he had the best poker face ever so to watch his eye was just stupid.

After lowering the book in his hand Kakashi turned towards the senbon user. "No and I never will, not even when she reaches the age of fifty!"

"WHAT?" Genma dropped his senbo, that landed on the table. People around them looked up from what they had been doing and looked at them with interest. With a slight blush Genma turned to Kakashi who was now staring at him over the edge of the book. "Sorry." He whispered to Kakashi who tried his best to ignore the stupid man in front of him. After waiting a while for the others in the room to continue what they had been doing before Genma had yelled right out in the open, he turned to his friend again. "But why would you not tell her even when she a grown up?" He couldn't believe it. Well he would have understood if his friend was a player like himself but,, come one! Kakashi never dated and never hooked up with someone just for fun so why would he not tell his soulmate about him?

"Tell her what?" A voice asked right above their heads and to Genma's surprise Asuma stood there with a big grin on his lips. Apparently Kakashi had already noticed the other man's presence and didn't take much notice of him.

Signing for Asuma to sit down Genma leaned closer to the bearded man. "Kakashi has maybe found his soulmate! But he plans on never ever telling her even if it is his soulmate."

"WHAT?!" Now it was Asuma who yelled so high that everyone in the room turned their heads once again. After noticing the unwanted attention Asuma raised his hands and dismissed the whole thing. "Sorry it was nothing important, please go back to your work." And after he had made sure that every single head had turned around he leaned over towards Kakashi. "So you are saying that you will never ever tell her that you are her soulmate?"

The only answer he got from the silver haired man was a pictured of a girl pushed towards him. The picture was of a girl with light pink hair, big green eyes and over the picture stood the name _Haruno Sakura_ in neat letters. She was cute alright but still only twelve years old. "I would never destroy her future by ever letting her see my mark." Kakashi said to the two men next to him.

"Well I understand why would not tell her now, I mean it would be a bit sick. She is still just a child but when she turns eighteen, then maybe…" Asuma started but got interrupted by Kakashi who slowly shook his head.

"No, I want her to be free to choose whoever she wants to with when she grows up, not being trapped by having an old man as her soulmate." Kakashi told them before he walked away with his nose buried in his book once again.

After he was out of the room Asuma and Genma turned towards the picture of the girl and then towards each other. "I think he is right, I mean she is just so much younger than he and if she ever figures it out it would still be odd. I mean he will be her sensei." Genma shook his head slightly as he leaned back into his chair.

"But maybe he can change the,," Asuma said but got interrupted by Genma who held up his hand for the other man to stop talking.

"He has already tried and even begged the Hokage to change the group but he still got a no." Genma muttered as he twirled around the senbon in his mouth.

"That's to bad." Asuma muttered as he leaned back and looked around the room. It was filled with ninjas that would all be meeting their students tomorrow.

* * *

Just to meet his team a bit earlier than the others Kakashi searched for them in the town and he was please when he found one of them. Naruto, Minato sensei's son was eating ramen like he never had seen anyone eat ramen before. He could clearly hear the blonde order another bowl after he was finished with the current one he was holding in his hands. Nodding slightly Kakashi headed away towards the academy where he hoped to find the other two. Ohhhh, he did but was not really certain that it was a good thing. Sasuke Uchiha was standing against a tree looking up at the sky and he didn't seem to notice Kakashi's presence as he sat down on the rooftop to the academy. Girls from everywhere was swarming around him, asking and begging to see his soulmark. It was pretty annoying so he understood perfectly well why the dark-haired boy didn't want to answer them. Memories when he was young flooded into his mind and he could see some resembles between himself and the Uchiha kid. Among all the girls was two who stood out, a pink haired girl and a blonde girl. They stood farther to the side and was talking about something that had them both giggling. Kakashi turned his head a bit and with his heightened hearing he could clearly hear what the two was talking about.

"Oh Sasuke-kun is so good looking! Don't you think so Sakura!" The blonde said and turned towards her friend that was tugging on her pink hair.

"Yeah he is so dreamy. I wonder what his mark looks like! What do you think Ino?" Sakura asked her friend and made dreamy eyes towards the boy who was now trying to look for away out of the swarm of fangirls.

Ino, the blonde girl looked like she was really concentrating on the speculations of the Uchiha's mark before she answered her friend. "I think it is a hexagon with a lot of different letters inside it." She said and smiled.

This however seemed to not sit well with Sakura who pouted. "That is just because you have that kind of a mark on your neck! And if Sasuke-kun really did have that one, don't you think he would have told you already? I mean everyone sees it daily!" she pointed towards a part on the neck of her friend with a smile.

"Ohh? So what do you think his mark looks like miss Sakura?" Ino asked with an edge on her tone that made Kakashi realize that when this girl grew up she would be a handful.

A heavy blush spread across Sakura's cheeks and she glanced over to Sasuke. "Well maybe a round mark with a lot of sakura blossoms in it and ,," Kakashi held his breath and he felt sweat drops beginning to form on his forehead when he heard the description, the only thing he had to do now was hear the final part and he would be absolutely certain that she was his soulmate. But that never came because just as she was about to say the last part the Uchiha kid walked away and left all the fangirls complaining. Sakura and her friend Ino was apparently not an exception. _Fuck! So fucking close! But still it was scary how the description fit mine. No, no, no there is no chance,,, right? I mean, who in the world would be so unlucky to have their soulmate as a student?_


	2. Chapter 2- Puremates

Hello everyone! I hope you are feeling awesome! Just a heads up, this chapter will contain a part were team seven still are twelve years old and then there will be a part from Sakura's POV when she is seventeen years old. She will soon be turning eighteen! Yay!

OBS! I have actually made up a different kind of soulmate, called a puremate. I know maybe it sounds stupid but I hope you will like it. This means that when one of the soulmates turn eighteen the others body gets "locked" to that person,, it doesn't mean that they can't kiss and have sex with another. It just means that the person being locked will never feel good with anyone else than their soulmate. The feeling of getting locked is a bit painful, you stop breathing for a minute, your heartrate increases and your every muscle get tense. The person who is eighteen will still be "free" until its partner turns eighteen. Every puremate is documented into a special book, with a picture of the mark and information about the other person, that the Hokage has in his/her possession.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, sadly, (if I had then Sakura and Kakashi would have gotten married a long time ago.)

PS. I must tell you all, THANK YOU so much for favouriting and following my story! I am so happy for that AND THANK YOU all that have left comments! I Love to read them so if you have time please tell me what you think :3

HUGS AND KISSES!

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Chapter 2: Puremates

Even if he didn't want to believe it, Haruno Sakura, his student, his twelve-year-old student, was and would always be his soulmate. Kakashi felt like he was being buried alive when he noticed the mark on Sakura back. He wasn't even supposed to be where he was, why had he been so worried about her? If he hadn't walked over to where she was, he would never have seen the now clearly visible mark on her lower back.

Well for him to be there could be explained by the simple fact that she had told him and both her teammates that she would only fetch some water from the river nearby. It had been ten minutes ago and he had gotten restless to wait for Sakura to return, so he hurried down to the river after telling Naruto to start a fire. This had caused Sasuke to comment on his teammate's ability to do such a task and that led to a heated fight between the boys that normally Kakashi would have broken off, but not now. He didn't have time for that. For all he knew Sakura could have gotten hurt or worse been attacked, so his priority had been to find her as fast as he could. With hurried leaps, he rushed from tree to tree with his sharingan opened to find his missing student as fast as possible.

Next to the river he spotted a pink-haired girl sitting by the riverbank. She was coughing and cursing while she tried to wring out some water from her shirt. That was when he saw it, the mark, the soulmark. It was on her lower back, right where the kidneys were. It was a perfect circular shape filled with sakura blossoms and in the middle, something that resembled his clan mark. A perfect replica of his own mark he had hidden under his mask. _No! Why? Just why? Why does she have to be my soulmate? This is some twisted sick joke, right?_ Kakashi almost slipped down from the branch he was currently standing on as he stared at the mark that was still clearly visible. It was identical to his, there was no way that he could object to that and it hurt, it hurt him more than every hit he had received in his entire life. Even the sharingan told him the same thing that this mark and his was perfect copies.

Kakashi had found his soulmate and she was not only twelve years old but his student. With a pounding heart, he jumped down from the branch to make himself known to her while he tried his best to look as aloof as possible. Sakura jumped at the sound of someone behind her and let her shirt fall to conceal herself. She turned her head slowly and it was clear that she was relieved that it was her sensei standing there and not one of her teammates.

"Kakashi-sensei, I didn't know that you were here." She smiled as he walked over to where she was sitting. Under her was a huge puddle and all her clothes was damp with water.

"If you were planning to go for a swim I would recommend that you do that without all of your clothes next time. A bathing suit would seem like a more appropriate choice for that activity." Kakashi said while trying his best not to let her know that internally he was laughing at how she looked. He didn't know if she was aware of the large leaf that was sitting on top of her head or the mud that had been smeared on her face and on some parts of her clothing.

Sakura pouted while looking down at the river. "I fell." She muttered as she sneaked a glance at Kakashi through her bangs.

"Oh."

The lack of answer was apparently not what Sakura had expected as she stared at Kakashi who was busy refilling his water bottle. "Shouldn't you tell me how stupid I am for letting myself fall into the river in the first place?" An uncertainty was starting to spread in Sakura's chest as she looked at her sensei, she didn't want him to be angry or disappointed for her lack of skills. The river was calm and there wasn't any wind blowing through the trees, so she didn't really have a reason for falling into it in the first place.

Kakashi sighed as he stood up and he could clearly see how his student was waiting for a reprimand for getting herself wet. The way she was seated, like a tiny human ball, just waiting for him to yell at her made his heart sink. Had he really been this harsh towards her? He knew that he hadn't been the most supportive teacher in the world but still, she shouldn't be looking like that…. it almost looked like she waited for him to hit her. _Damn, maybe I am too hard on them. Should I maybe try to be more supportive? But if I do then they will be turning soft and they will be unprepared for the dangers in the outside world. No, it is better that I am hard towards them! But still, I think I can afford to be nice just this once,,, right?_ Slowly, not to scare her, Kakashi reached out his hand and ruffled her wet hair. "It is alright Sakura-chan, everyone can make mistakes. You must have learned that by now, Naruto makes mistakes every time we have training. I am just happy that you didn't drown." He gave her his usual laidback smile.

Blushing like a tomato Sakura stood up with a speed that could almost match his own. She didn't turn around as she walked towards the camping ground where Sasuke and Naruto still was arguing about the fireplace and who was going to light the fire.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled as he noticed her wet clothes and hair. "Did Kaka-sensei do that to you?!" The blonde redirected his anger from Sasuke towards his sensei, who was now reading his orange book while slowly walking behind Sakura.

"N-no, I ehm,,," She paused as she glanced over at Sasuke who was on his way to start the fire but stopped to look up at her. "I fe-."

"I dropped my bottle of water into the river and Sakura-chan was nice enough to fetch it for me. Thanks again for the help." Kakashi dangled his water bottle in front of Naruto's eyes and glanced back to see Sakura's blushing cheeks.

"Yo-you are welcome sensei." She glanced up at him though her pink bangs and smiled the warmest smile Kakashi ever seen her use on him ever. That smile was usually reserved for Sasuke or in extremely special cases Naruto. It felt nice somehow to know that he had helped his soulmate. But the chilling sensation in his spine that started to spread just as he saw Sakura's soulmark, only got bigger. What was he supposed to do now? He knew for a fact that Sakura was his soulmate and he was hers. How was he going to tackle this? Only thinking back to her talking about her soulmate so many time and what she was going to do when she found him, made Kakashi lose whatever colour he had on his cheeks. Thankfully he had already decided to never tell her anything so that was one problem he wouldn't need to think about now. _If she talks about her soulmate I just have to act like I usually do and nod in agreement or something like that._ Kakashi sat himself down against a tree and watched over the edge of his book how all his students started to yell at each other for the lack of fire and food. Well Naruto was the one who got yelled at by his teammates while he yelled at Sasuke.

"Fine! I will start the fire!" Sakura yelled after hearing her teammates yell at each other for some timeand walked over to the small pile of wood that Naruto and Sasuke had gathered for the fireplace. After a few movements Sakura had the fire started and was now looking at her two teammates who were both still arguing but now about other things. With a small huff of air that escaped her lungs Sakura placed herself on the ground next to her sensei. "Thanks for not telling them about me falling into the river by mistake." Sakura whispered in a low tone that only Kakashi was able to hear.

"It was nothing Sakura-chan, I am just glad to help." Kakashi turned to her and smiled.

Blushing slightly Sakura turned towards the fight that had erupted in front of them. "Do you think that we should start the dinner without them?"

Thinking for a while Kakashi shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "Well, I sure am hungry and I know that those two can keep going forever so why don't you and I start to prepare the food? Maybe the smell will settle them down." Kakashi added after he closed his book.

All her white teeth were now on display as she gave him a huge smile and stood up. "You really are the best, sensei." She said before turning to the bags that were placed near the fireplace so that she could start finding something to eat for them. But Kakashi stayed where he was, his heart was pounding hard in his chest and he felt a blush spread over his cheeks. _Thank goodness that I have my mask on me!_ Being called the best was a first for him and to be called that by his soulmate was an entire different thing. _What am I going to do?!_

"Sensei tell this dobe that his should shut up!" Sasuke said as he punched his teammates head.

"No, it is you who should shut the f-" Naruto got interrupted by Sakura's fist that collided with his jaw. Whining and feeling tears welling up in his eyes Naruto turned towards his only female teammate. "Wh-why Sakura-chan?"

Letting out a puff of air, Sakura looked at her teammate who was trying to hide his tears from dripping down. "I hate hearing swear words right before dinner." She said and gave him a stern look. "Plus, you and Sasuke should stop your fighting or else only sensei and I will get some dinner tonight."

This caused both the boys to shut their mouths and slowly they walked over to their bags to help Sakura with everything that was going to be used at dinner. "Wow Sakura, have you thought about being a teacher?" Kakashi said as he towered over her petit body. "I could put in a good word for you." Giving her a goofy smile Kakashi slowly made his way to the fireplace and started to put up a pan to warm their food on. Fried rice with dried meat, would have tasted good if there had been more spices to be used and some vegetables.

"Noo! Sensei!" Naruto started to sulk right at the same time he saw Kakashi pour in some rice into the frying pan. "Why did you think I placed the cup noodles in front of you? I wanted some ramen!"

"Why, Naruto. I had no idea! If you only told me earlier." Kakashi said with a sarcastic tone in his voice as he continued to fry the rice. Pouting like a small child Naruto sat himself down beside the fire and watched with a sad expression how the food slowly was getting done.

"It smells wonderful, Kakashi-sensei." Bending closer to the pan Sakura inhaled the rich scent. "I bet your soulmate must be really happy with you as their partner." A slight redness had spread over her cheeks and if it was for the heat from the fire or the question she had asked Kakashi didn't know. _Well I wouldn't know if you would think the same thing if you found out about the soulmate you are talking about is you, Sakura._

"Mhm."

"Hey, Kaka-sensei! Who is your soulmate? How does your mark look like?" Naruto's eyes were shining and it reminded Kakashi of his late sensei, Minato-sensei. _Like father, like son._ Noticing his other two students sitting down and waiting for him to continue he sighed. There was no way he would tell them the truth or even give them a hint of how his mark looked like.

"Come on sensei! You have to tell us something about it!" Sakura clapped her hands with excitement as she looked at her sensei who was pouring food on plates for them to eat.

Seeing Sakura's pleading eyes was what made Kakashi crack. He couldn't say no to those eyes even if he wanted to,,,, and he really did, so much! "Well, it is a mark. It is in a certain shape, with certain things decorating it." He slowly turned towards his students and saw their shocked and disappointed expression.

"Sensei, that is not even a proper answer!" Naruto yelled before he stuffed his entire mouth full of food. "'is is deicous!" As he spoke some food flew out of his mouth and hit Sasuke right on the cheek, which only caused another fight to erupt.

"You did that on purpose! Stop speaking with your mouth full of food!" Sasuke yelled as he punched Naruto on the nose.

The hit wasn't so hard, but hard enough for Naruto to drop his plate and the rest of his food fell to the ground. "You will be sorry for that!" And yelling at each other Naruto and Sasuke started to fight one another. Punches were thrown around as Sakura and Kakashi silently sat by the fire eating their food in peace.

* * *

Sakura 17 years old

The day had started like the others but it didn't feel like it. She was still in the dream world where she wanted to stay for the time being. That dream was her favourite of all the ones she had on a regular basis. A dream where she and Kakashi was holding hands, talking and laughing about silly things. Yeah, it was stupid but she was totally in love with her sensei. The worst part was that it had started as a crush when she was fourteen years old. Almost at the same time as she stopped like Sasuke in that way. No, she was over that depressed guy, even if she loved him like a brother, that was all it was to it. That had been one of the crazies' days in her life when she understood that the only feelings she had for him was purely platonic ones. Feeling free she had run the fastest she could to Ino's place and told her that if she wanted Sasuke she could have him. It had been such a liberating feeling.

But to be in love with her sensei was a huge problem,,, even if he was her ex-sensei. But still it was a huge problem. One day she had looked at him differently than a student watching her sensei. No, the admiration she had felt was not out of respect but out of love. This crush had caused heaps of trouble for her, blushing when her sensei had come close to her, been unable to talk to him or even look at him. Luckily that had gotten better over the years but so had her feelings. If not, he would have realized her feelings by now and that would have been a disaster! He would belittle her feelings for him and try to brush her off, but she couldn't blame him if he had. She would have reacted the same way if some fourteen-year-old told her that he had a crush on her when she was twenty-eight.

When her feelings had started she realized how angry she was when some woman came close to her sensei and the WORST part was when the woman would pat her head and call her cute,, CUTE! Just because she was a bit territorial about her sensei didn't mean that a woman could call her cute! But now when she was older she could understand why they had called her that. Seeing a small child holding onto her sensei's arm must have looked a bit cute, especially since she stretched out her tongue at them when she fought that Kakashi didn't notice.

Somehow, Sakura had told herself that the crush would go away when she got older, when she wasn't child anymore, but the feelings only grew bigger and deeper for each year. Soon she wouldn't be able to hide them. And that scared her. What would he think about her telling him that she loved him and that the only thing she wanted was to kiss him and do other things…

Her new teacher Tsunade, the Hokage, was a perfect teacher and Sakura loved her so much. They had decided when Sakura had been with Kakashi-sensei for a year that she was better off with Tsunade. If there was someone that could teach Sakura to develop her talents in chakra control it was her. She was like a second parent which Sakura appreciated and she loved to train with her, it was much different than training with Kakashi, even if training with him hadn't been bad. It was just that her kind of training was more in style with Sakura's personality.

Team seven had actually kept training together, the whole team, even if they all chose to go different ways for a period of time. Sasuke decided to go out and search for a different teacher to teach him about his sharingan, Naruto got Jiraiya and Sakura, the Hokage, but even so the whole team now met up a few times every week to train with each other.

For about almost four years the team hadn't seen each other so often, almost twice a year but that changed when Naruto, Kakashi and Sasuke got back the village. It had hurt her so much to be apart from her boys but she knew it was necessary,,,,,, well for two out of three. The third one, Kakashi, hadn't actually had the need to take the longest missions that they had to offer but he still did and every time he got back he tried to find a new one. That was until the Hokage put an end to it and forced him to take small missions near the village or inside the village. Sakura cried when she heard the news from her sensei that she was going to force Kakashi to stay in Konoha for some time. If it was because Tsunade was worried about Kakashi, Sakura didn't know but she had been so grateful that she had made a special delivery to her sensei the next day, a bottle of the finest sake she got her hands on.

Now laying in her bed looking up at her ceiling, she felt happy to know that tomorrow was time for practice with team seven. It made her so happy to know that soon she would be pressed against her sensei, fighting, feeling his muscles under her and,,,, _SHIT! No time for that!_ Sakura sat herself up so fast that she almost had to lay herself down again to regain her balance. Slowly she cast a look at the alarm clock right next to her bed, she had been dreading to see the horrible machine. Tired after last night's shift she had allowed herself a bit longer sleep but now she was running late. In about twenty minutes she was expected at her parents place to talk about something important, if she believed her parents. Often their definition of important was a bit off. Once they had told her that she had to rush home because they had something important to show her,,, it had been a new sofa that almost looked identical to their last one.

After dragging herself to the shower, Sakura enjoyed the warmth of the water and the feeling of waking up. If she had the opportunity she would have stayed in the warm spray of water the whole day.

Feeling the steam rise around her and filling the room she remembered the one time when she had walked into the wrong bathroom on an away mission. The steam had been so thick in the bathroom that it had been difficult for her see the interior. But as the steam had slowly gotten thinner Sakura had seen a sight she would remember for EVER! Kakashi, sexy, godlike Kakashi, standing there in a towel wrapped around his hips and a cloth over the lower half of his face. Never in her life had she been so turned on and utterly mortified at the same time. _He was so sexy! Those ripping muscles that was dripping wet of water, that unruly hair that was hanging over his eyes and those eyes! Fuck! I almost dropped my towel when I saw those mismatched eyes staring at me._ That night had been the first night Sakura had a wet dream about her sensei. Dreaming about him pressing his body against hers in a sensual way, the kissing, those hands of his that had roamed all over her body and those eyes that just stared right at her. It had just been breath-taking!

Remembering that she didn't have a lot of time she stopped her thought before they became too much, she didn't have time for that now. So instead she turned off the steaming water and walked out into the cold. Even if she didn't usually think that way, she welcomed the cold air around her as it made her more awake and focused on getting ready as fast as possible.

* * *

It took her about five minutes to get dressed after she had dried herself off and then it took two minutes to run with chakra inflated feet to her parent's house.

Dropping into their apartment through their opened living room window, Sakura landed on the floor with a featherlight touch. "Sakura, darling can't you use the door like a regular person?" Her mother asked as she got up from the couch she had been seated on.

"But mom,," Sakura didn't have time to finish before she got a big hug from her mother and kiss on the cheek.

"Is that my little blossom that is home at last?" Her father asked as he walked out of the kitchen, carrying a tray of cinnamon buns that appeared to have been taken fresh out of the oven. The scent was mouth-watering.

"Darling, have you been eating? Are you able to pay your rent?" Her mother asked as Sakura got released from the hug and then grabbed into another one but now from her father.

This treatment continued for some time before they all was seated on the couch, eating cinnamon buns and drinking tea. They tasted so good, the cinnamon felt fresh in her mouth, the softness of the buns made her just want more and the sugar on top gave it a delicious feeling of perfection, no one could bake cinnamon buns like her mother could! "So what was it that you wanted to tell me?" Sakura asked as she placed her mug onto the table. It had been nagging in the back of her head, it was like her parents wanted to push the "telling" part for later.

She was met with absolute silence as her parents looked at each other and then everywhere else but her. Worriedly Sakura sat on the edge of the couch, feeling like she wanted to run away. The only times her parents had acted like that was when they had to reveal something horrible. "Well,, we don't know how we are going to tell you this. It is a pretty hard subject to talk about…." Her father started to say and then he turned to her mother who was also looking a bit worried.

"Yeah, I mean we have been meaning to tell you,,,, it was just that,,,,, well you were so young before and we didn't want to think about you doing,,, such things,,,,,," Her mother paused and looked up at her daughter. "It is stupid I know, I mean me and your father started pretty early with our,,,,,,, well that is for some other day." Carefully Sakura's mother placed her hand on Sakura's knee and looked at her daughter. "We have known ever since you were about four and a half." _What have you known from I was four and a half? I am dying here! Just tell me already!_ She turned her head and looked at her husband who nodded at her to continue. "A day in September, we learned that you are a puremate."

Sakura just stared at her mother with a gaping mouth. _Puremate?! But that is impossible! I can't be a puremate,,, right? No there must be a miss understanding!_ "But- how,,, why?" Sakura was still gaping as she tried to form some words, she didn't really care which ones only some words at all.

"As you know sweetheart a puremate is someone that is connected to a certain someone their entire life. That when the other person turns eighteen their partner will be connected to them. To be locked to a certain someone for life." Her father said and tried his best to read his daughters expression. He knew better than anyone that she could freak out and he was expecting her to do so soon. And hopefully he could stop her before some furniture got destroyed. _Yeah, I know daddy. I have read about puremates in the medical books. But me,, a puremate?! I am locked to a certain someone for the rest of my life? But what if I hate that person? I don't want this! No, no, no, no, I want to at least be kind of free. Shit if my puremate became eighteen when I was only four and a half he is at least thirteen or fourteen years older than me! Shit he won't even know that he is a puremate until the day I turn eighteen!_ "But hey! Why haven't I seen my mark in the puremate book?" That was something that all puremates had to go through, be put in a special book to make sure that the partners found each other. Puremates, can live a life without meeting each other and even start a family but they will never be able to feel good when being with someone else other than their partner. No, they are locked to each other, body and heart. _I wonder who my partner is,,, maybe Kakashi? No I can never be that lucky,,, ever._

Dejected, Sakura turned her eyes to the single bun left on the table. "I am sorry baby that we didn't tell you earlier." Her mother took a stronger hold on her knee. "Just know that your father and I will support you in this. We know that your soulmate is older than you, a lot older. But still, we will support you and your partner when you find him. We will welcome him into this family with open arms."

"Exactly and if he is anything like that horrid Genma person I will personally kick his behind." Her father said while he cracked his knuckles. Sakura could still remember how her mother and father once met Genma in town and he had shamelessly tried to flirt with her mother right in front of her father.

Knowing that she could do bigger damage to Genma with her left pinkie, Sakura just laughed and hugged both her parents. Even if she wanted to be angry at her parents she just couldn't, she understood why they had kept it a secret for so long.

* * *

As she later that day left her parent's house Sakura started to think. What was she going to do? If her body was locked to someone else she had to find that person. But she hated it, the whole idea. To maybe find someone that wasn't Kakashi. No that would be a nightmare. And that was the worst part, if she and Kakashi wasn't soulmates, she wouldn't enjoy their kiss IF they ever shared one. "Why me?!"

"Why what Sakura-chan?" She heard a voice say right behind her. Shrieking in surprise, Sakura turned around to see the one and only person she didn't want to see right now. Kakashi. He was standing there smiling his usual smile and holding his orange book in one hand. "Sakura-chan it isn't a good thing that I was able to sneak up on you. Not a good quality for a ninja."

Blinking a few times Sakura just stared up at him. His silver mop of hair ruffled in the wind and his soft features looked even softer in the light behind him. The man in front of her was truly wonderful, so sexy and so perfect. "Eh-ehh,,,,, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura was eternally grateful that she managed to not blush like a tomato when she looked up at his perfect face. What was the odds? She had just thought about him and now,,,, he was standing here,,, so close to her,,,, just a small movement from her and their lips would meet.

"Please Sakura-chan, stop calling me sensei. I feel like such an old man when you and Naruto call me that."

Looking back at him with a bit shocked expression Sakura turned her head towards her feet. "I never actually thought about it. Sorry sens- sorry Kakashi." She turned her head and looked up at him once again. "But hey! If I am going to stop the honorific then you should stop calling me Sakura-chan. It feels as if you are talking to me as it I am twelve years old again."

Looking a bit startled Kakashi nodded and gave her a crescent-eye smile. "If you say so Sakura. I am sorry if I made you feel that way." Giving her a usual smile and wave he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. As the smoke slowly disappeared Sakura stood still and just watched it fade. How was she ever going to be able to live without him? What if she and Kakashi wasn't soulmates? What if they were soulmates? And what if he wouldn't want her because she had been his student? Who in their right mind would want to be with a person that was so much younger then themselves? No Kakashi would never see her as a person he could date, kiss, hug and maybe someday marry. Kakashi would always see a small twelve-year-old girl standing in front of him, instead of the grown-up woman she was today. Even if they were soulmates he would still not want her. She would have to live with the feeling of emptiness her entire life. No she had to make him see her in a different light!

Standing still in the middle of the street Sakura remembered one thing. Her best friend, Ino had have her fair share of older lovers and she never told Sakura about anyone of them behaving as if they saw her as a juvenile little girl. No Ino had told her about the men thinking of the blonde girl as a sex goddess. _I need Ino's help!_ And with big leaps Sakura hurried down the street, passing a lot of people that was getting home from their different working places. The Yamanaka flower shop had the most wonderful placing in the town. Between a beautiful café and a small clothing store that made special ninja clothes, something that Ino often took advantage of.

"Forehead!" The blonde woman behind the desk yelled as Sakura walked into the store. Waving and giving her friend a huge smile Ino moved pass the flower arrangements and the desk to properly greet her friend.

"Pig! How are you today?" Sakura gave her friend a hug.

Ino looked at Sakura as if she knew that something was up. "Well I am pretty good but it is looking like you didn't have a great day. Did your parents say something bad to you?"

Blinking a few minutes Sakura just stood there and looked back at her friend. She had almost forgotten about the puremate thing and that she told Ino yesterday that she would visit her parent today. "We-well, I,, No." She paused as she heard the door behind her open and a customer came in. A older lady with her soulmark in her forehead gave both Sakura and Ino a bright smile.

"I need some red roses dearest Ino." She said as she slowly walked up to the front desk.

Giving her friend an apologising look Ino walked back to the desk and started to pick up some beautiful roses that was placed in a refrigerator in the back of the room. "So how are your man Rosetta? Still tired from the hip replacement." Ino asked as she tied a small bow around the bouquet.

"Oh he is just fine, remember, it is our special day today." She paused and looked up into thin air. "The day we meet my darling and I." smiling at the memories she slowly handed the money to Ino who wished her a great day.

Sakura helped the older woman out of the store and closed the door behind her. What was she going to tell Ino? If she told her about the puremate thing then everyone would know in the entire town, but she needed help to get Kakashi to see her as a grownup woman. How else was she going to get him to want her? To make him show her his soulmark. "So,,,, now that the old lady has walked out and left us two all alone are you going to tell me what's on your mind?" Ino asked as she slowly turned the sign at the door so instead of _open_ it said _closed._

"Well, it is a bit difficult to talk about but I need your help pig." Sakura said as they both started to close the store. There were many flowers that needed to be watered before they left. It was somehow calming to just walk around in the store and water the plants, listening to the water drip down onto the floor.

Finding that all was in its place Ino locked the doors and walked out with Sakura by her side. "So, forehead, what do you want help with?"

Blushing like a mad man Sakura didn't know how she should start explaining her problem. _I am horny on my ex-sensei. I want to marry him and get ten babies and love him forever._ No that weren't something that would sound good enough for her friend. "There is someone I like and I want him to see me in a different light. I want him to see me as an attractive woman and not some stupid little girl."

Squealing of delight Ino hugged her friend. "Finally, little forehead is going to get some!" Ino laughed.

"PIG! You don't have to say it like that!" Blushing like crazy Sakura followed her friend up into the Yamanaka house. Even if Ino had a great job and a steady income, she still lived at her parent's house. When Sakura asked her about it the answers always changed from 'it is easier, it is cheap, I can spend all my money on clothes instead of rent, it is comfortable, closer to work' or the best one 'if I get a stalker guy who doesn't get it when I try to breakup with him I take him home and let daddy take care of him for me'. But if it worked for the Yamanaka family, well the only thing that Sakura could say was congratulations. She would never be able to live at home. There would only be fighting and shouting at each other if she came home tired from the hospital or hurt from a mission. No, living alone in her perfect apartment was the best. It was a bit small but perfect seize for just her to relax in.

"Then what? Don't you want him to fuck you hard and finally take away your virginity? I mean come on! I lost mine when I turned sixteen." Ino added but with a lower tone than before. Surely her parents were home or the Yamanaka girl would have screamed it out for the entire world to hear. Everyone who actually knew Ino would know that she was proud of losing her virginity early. Well maybe not as early as she had wanted to but still.

"Sorry pig, I just want my first time to be special, with someone I care about and that cares about me." They sat down onto Ino's bed and made themselves comfortable with pillows and some blankets.

"Alright I get it, but still promise me that if this guy notices you and gets horny that you will let him fuck you hard. And afterwards you MUST tell me all about it!" Blushing harder than before Sakura threw one of the pillows right into Ino's face.

"PIG!"

Deciding that it was a good idea to throw one back at Sakura, Ino took the pillow behind her back and smacked it into one side of Sakura's face. "Forehead, you are such prude!" She smiled at her friend, then she brought forth a box that had been positioned under her bed. It was the "girl-talk-box", filled with nail polish, makeup, brushes and hairclips. They got seated in to a better angle than before and Ino slowly started to paint Sakura's nails with a green colour that matched her eyes. "So, who is this guy little forehead has a crush on?"

Lowering her eyes to her toes, Sakura tried to come up with a good answer. "It is not important." She muttered in response. _I can't tell her that it is Kakashi, if she told others that may cause problems for him and what if he finds out and feels disgusted. And then he tells me to stay away from him!_

"Not important? Of course it is important! I need to know who it is so that I can make a plan for you." Ino paused and looked at her friend who still was looking anywhere but her. "It isn't Sasuke right? I thought you told me that you were over him." When they were younger both Sakura and Ino had been fighting for his affection but as they grew older their feelings for the dark-haired boy slowly started to fade. Sakura was the one that buried the battle-ax first and when she told her ex-rival in love that she didn't like Sasuke and that Ino could have him all to herself it didn't go more than one week until they were best friends once again and one month for Ino to confess that she didn't really like him either. The only reason Ino had liked him in the beginning had been because she wanted all the girls in Sasuke's fan club to be jealous at her.

Sakura looked up at her friend with a surprised look in her eyes. "Sasuke?! No never, I am so over that dramatic mister." Thinking back at what Ino just said she understood why her friend needed to know something about her crush. How would she otherwise be able to help her entice him? "Okay I won't tell you directly who it is but I will let you know some hints." Pausing for effect Sakura leaned back towards the soft cushion behind her. "He is older than I am, he is sexy, adorable, nice, funny, perfect and so sweet."

"Damn! It sounds to me that you don't just like him." Ino said after blinking away the shock.

"No I,,, well,,, I.." Blushing once again Sakura lowered her head to conceal her face from her friend's prying eyes.

"I knew it! My little forehead loves a man older than she is!" Ino yelled!

"Ino sweetheart is everything alright up there?" Ino's mother yelled from downstairs. Both girls started to laugh and Sakura turned to an even deeper shade of red.

"It is nothing mom!" Ino yelled back. After waiting for a while to see if her mother decided to come up or if she had been pleased with that answer, Ino turned back to the blushing pink-haired woman in her bed. "So, it you want this mystery man to notice you we have to get you something sexier than what you usually wear. Something short, black and revealing." Licking her lips Ino turned to her closet. "I don't have anything that will fit you but I just have to show you what I mean." Strolling over the floor to her closet Sakura waited with anticipation to see what her friend had in store for her.

What she had in store for Sakura almost made the pink-haired girl faint. "You want me to wear something like that?!" She yelled as Ino held up the dress she meant. The material was stretching, black and revealing in all the "right" places, if she was listening to Ino's opinion.

"Heck yeah! If you want mr someone to notice you and your womanly glory you have to show him that you are a grown up and not some little kid!" Ino smiled wider when she saw how her explanation made sense for the pinkette.

"Fuck! You are right! So where do I get one of those?" Sakura pointed towards the dress her friend still held in one of her hands and blushed at the thought of going to buy something like that,,,. What if someone saw her? _What if you are doing all this for nothing? Kakashi would never want you and you know that you are a puremate. You won't be able to enjoy getting a kiss from him or even have sex with him if he isn't your soulmate. You are doomed to fail._ Sakura heard a voice in her mind say. And it was right, who was she kidding? Even if Kakashi would notice her, they would never be. Alright it sounded odd, but she had until this morning just decided to forget the whole soulmate business because she had realized after longing for Kakashi for so long that she never wanted anyone else, soulmate or not. But maybe this changed it all? Should she choose to let it change something? No! It wouldn't be right to let something small like this disturb the feelings she had in her chest. Kakashi was who she wanted, puremate, soulmate or whatever. She wanted him.

"Do you have money on you?" Sakura nodded in response. Luckily, she had packed some money on her before she headed out. "You are lucky because the store that I shop at has a major sale and because of that they decided to have the store open for two extra hours per day just this week. Lets hurry!"

* * *

Ino pulled at her arm and soon they were both standing inside the clothing store. Everywhere hanged sexy clothes, thin material underwear, sexy bras, thongs, dresses and much more. "Where should we even start?" Sakura whispered to her friend who was already planning everything she knew Sakura would need to seduce the mystery man.

"We will start with the dresses! How much money do you have on you? If somehow you are short on cash I can loan you some."

"No I think I have enough." Sakura pulled out her wallet and Ino jumped up and down with excitement.

"You have enough to buy the whole set and some more things! Goodie! Let's shop!" And just like that Yamanaka Ino turned from a hyper girl that was jumping up and down, to a super shopper with a goal in her mind. To make Sakura the sexiest woman,,, well the second sexiest woman in Konoha.

* * *

After almost one hour Sakura walked out of the store with an empty wallet and several shopping bags. Even Ino had found some clothes that she wanted.

"That was some happy hunting, right forehead?" Ino said and smiled.

"Well I certainly will never see you in the same light again." Sakura thought back to how her friend had tackled a woman from taking the last black and red bra. She now knew that standing between her friend and some lingerie was a no-no, if she didn't want to end up like that woman had.

"Oh stop it." With a slight blush Ino turned towards her friend. "Now we just have to go out for drinks at the same bar and time as your guy and you will have him hooked!"

"I think he said he was going out on Friday with some friends to drink at NinjaSin."

Ino clapped her hands together with excitement. "Perfect! That place is just right for you to be dressed like that. And they have a dance floor so you and the mystery man can get nasty on the dancefloor." She winked as she saw how Sakura tried her hardest not to slap her for talking like that in public.

"PIG!" Sakura hissed as she turned around to see if someone had heard her friend.

"I will call Tenten and Hinata and ask if they want to go on a girls' night out on Friday." Ino said as she ignored Sakura's hissing sound. "I will tell them about the mission so they are made aware that they can't flirt with just anyone. And I promise to do the same thing. No flirting unless you say it isn't the person you like."

"Thanks pig, it really means a lot for me." Sakura answered her friend with a sarcastic tone as they walked down the streets. "Plus, you don't have to tell them something like that, Hinata only likes Naruto and Tenten has her eyes set on Neji. So the only one I should be worried about is you,,, and I don't think he will like you in that way."

Stopping right at the spot, Ino turned with wide eyes to look at Sakura. "Please don't tell me that the person you think is so sexy is Asuma-sensei. I mean sure I could go totally see people falling for him but he has already found his soulmate."

"I know and it isn't Asuma that I like." _Although she was fucking close in her guessing._ "It is someone else."

"Good because it would have been so weird. It would be like if I liked Kakashi-sensei." Ino started to laugh at her comment and almost didn't notice the pale look on Sakura's face. "Oh come on! I didn't mean I would actually go for him, that would have been so,,,,,,,,," Ino paused her rambling and inspected her friend's panicked expression. "You told me that the person you like is older than you, sexy, adorable, nice, funny, perfect and so sweet… You can't have meant Kakashi-sensei. Right?" Waiting for Sakura to answer Ino placed down her bags on a nearby bench.

"Well,,,,,, I ,,,, I mean,,," Sakura stuttered.

"OH MY HOKAGE! YOU LIKE KAKAS-,," Ino screamed but got interrupted but Sakura's hands that was pressed hard against the blonde woman's mouth.

"Shhhhhhhh!" Sakura hissed in panic, anyone could have heard her friend if she was unlucky. "Be quiet!" Waiting for a while with her hand still pressed hard against her friend's mouth, Sakura looked around to see if anyone was near them and if they could have heard Ino's shouting. But she was lucky, no a soul was visible. Exhaling Sakura slowly let go of her friend who had calmed herself down.

"This is huge forehead!"

"Shouldn't you tell me that I am stupid for falling for my ex-sensei?" Sakura couldn't really understand why her friend was smiling so big at her revelation but still it was comforting to know that Ino had her back.

"No, I will not, it is not wrong to love someone older, even if that person is your ex-sensei. He will never be able to resist you in the clothes we brought today!" Ino said happily and then she turned to her friend with a little glint in her eyes. "After you have sex, don't forget to tell me all the details and how he looks under that mask of his!"


	3. Chapter 3- The bar and other stuff

Hello everyone, I hope you are feeling good and that you have had an awesome day!

I really HOPE you will like this chapter, I didn't have so much tim

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto,,, sadly. If I did I would TOTALLY make Kakashi and Sakura love each other and stuff! Get married and stuff.

* * *

Chapter 3- The bar and other stuff.

Sakura sat down on her bed looking around at the mess on her floor. The dresses she had bought was laying everywhere, nothing she tried on tonight felt right. It was as if the dresses somehow shrunk seven seizes over the last minutes. Or had the dresses always been so short? And revealing?

"Forehead?! Why are you still sitting on your bed?" Ino walked into the bedroom from her trip to the kitchen, she had told her friend that she needed to fetch some wine so that Sakura would get a bit more courage and that Ino herself needed something to start off the drinking part of the night. One thing could be said about Ino and that was that she was an expert on Sakura related things. "Why haven't you put on your sexy red dress?"

Blushing like crazy and feeling so embarrassed that she wanted to die Sakura took one glass of red wine her friend was holding out for her. Sakura chugged her drink down in a second. "How in the world can you go around dressed like that? OUTSIDE?"

Ino looked down at what she was wearing and didn't really see a problem with it. The blonde woman had an extremely revealing dress. It looked like it was made by only straps whirled around her curvaceous body. Just small parts of her breast were hidden and the dress was so short that Sakura wondered if it was legal to walk around dressed like that. Her heels were extremely high, the makeup was smoky and dark. "What? It looks hot and all the males in the bar will look at me! Well except Kakashi, your lover boy. If I find him looking at me I will have you smack him so hard that he will end up into next week."

"Very funny Pig. So anyway, when will Hinata and Tenten meet us at the bar?" Sakura held up another dress that she thought was a bit revealing, but not **as** revealing as the others. "What do you think about this one?"

"PERFECT! And if you really want to know the proper answer then we have to be at the bar in about one hour." Ino reached for her purse to re-apply her red lipstick.

Sakura turned her head towards her friend with a shocked expression. "ONE HOUR?! And you couldn't tell me that earlier?" Sakura yelled as she ran to the bathroom. In just one hour she had to do her hair, makeup, clothes and decide if she was going to bring an extra pair of shoes to walk in.

"Well if you had just taken the first dress that you picked out from your closet then you wouldn't be in this mess." Ino answered her distressed friend. Sakura didn't think that was helpful in any way and she would probably have to punch Ino-pig for that comment later on, but now she needed her friend's advice and help. After pulling on her dress Sakura stood in front of the mirror in the hallway to look over herself and damn did she look hot!

"Pig, what do you think?" Sakura walked into the room Ino was standing in and did a little swirl for her blonde friend. Sakura was wearing a red dress, skin tight, that stopped just below her bottom and started just above her breasts. It made her legs look like they went on forever and her breast look a lot bigger than clothes usually made them appear. It was a halter-neck dress that was tied in her neck and forming a big ribbon. Her pink hair that was lightly swirled in the ends, made a contrast to the redness of her dress and her creamy skin. The shoes that she had decided to wear was high stilettos that made her legs look even longer and thinner. She felt like a walking sex-bomb in these clothes.

"If I were a guy I would have done anything to make you mine so that I could fuck you all night long." Ino smirked as she noticed Sakura's blush. _Damn why must she always make me blush?_

"Don't say stuff like that in the bar pig. Or all the males would get serious nosebleeds." Sakura muttered as she pulled up her hair into a ponytail. "Does it look better like this?" But when she saw her friend's thumb point downwards Sakura let her hair fall again so it gave her some cover over her bare shoulders.

Looking around in her apartment Sakura felt like she was still missing something but didn't really knew what. What can it be that she was missing or forgetting about? The worst part was that she felt like she should have done that before Ino came over. So what had it been? "Hey forehead! Why do you have so many articles and scrolls about Puremates lying on your Livingroom table?" _SHIT!_ Sakura ran to the table where she saw her friend standing, looking at the different notes that Sakura had made on a notepad.

"We-well,, I, I had to do it. Tsunade asked me to read those. Because there is a new Puremate in town. And we have to figure out who the other is in the pair." Sakura felt sweat form on her forehead as she waited to see if her friend had believed her "almost lie". Because it was kind of true. She had cross-checked the date of what her parents told her, whne she received her puremate status and after that she had gone to the Hokage. That hadn't went like she had thought but still she had gotten her answers.

* * *

 _Flashback_

Sakura stormed into Tsunade's office the day after she had gotten the news from her parents. The anger she had felt yesterday had returned when she woke up that morning and she felt like she just HAD to get some answers. The first question was how she had missed her mark in the book where they collected all the puremate marks. Shouldn't her sensei had told her at least? Or had she hidden the evidence? Maybe she was in on the whole "keeping it a secret for life".

"I think you have some things you would like to tell me!" Sakura yelled as she stormed into the office. To say that Tsunade was surprised was an understatement. The blonde woman looked as if a ghost had spooked her, but who could blame her? Seeing her apprentice running into her office at seven o'clock in the morning, fuming like a teapot. That just wasn't something that happened on a daily basis.

"Sakura, I don't know what you are talking about. But if you don't stop yelling at me I will not be easy on you!" Her aura changed from a laidback woman enjoying the early morning sun to a maniac killer just waiting for her next pray. Because Sakura knew what her sensei meant, she calmed herself down and sat down on the chair in front of Tsunade. "So, can you now tell me what got you so upset this morning?" Clasping her hands under her chin Tsunade leaned towards Sakura and waited for an answer.

Looking a bit uncertain, Sakura turned her eyes down on the nice dark wooden surface of the desk in front of her. "Well,,, I just,,, My parents told me something yesterday and well,,,,, I don't understand why you didn't tell me." Sakura muttered and turned her head towards the big bookcase next too the desk.

Sighting, Tsunade kind of understood what they had told Sakura but she wanted to hear it from her lips. If they hadn't told her yet,,, (even if Tsunade told them several years ago that they should) well she didn't want to be the one to tell her. No, Sakura was so sweet and innocent, her wonderful apprentice that she loved like her own daughter, she didn't want to be the one to tell her something so huge. "What did they tell you Sakura?"

"That I am a puremate." She whispered it in such a low tone that it was a bit surprising that Tsunade heard what she had said. But what else could she had said in such an uncertain tone? No Tsunade knew that her apprentice was scared now and angry becuase someone didn't tell her about it before.

Making her face look as stoic as ever Tsunade looked at Sakura's slouching form. "Yes, I know and it was your parents' responsibility to tell you. I wanted to tell you since you became my apprentice but your parents told me that they wanted to wait." She paused and looked at Sakura who was looking like she couldn't believe what she heard. "I am sorry and that is why your mark isn't in the puremate book yet. You were so young when it happened and it would have been morally wrong to tell anyone that you already at the age of four and a half was a puremate. So now you know why you haven't seen your mark anywhere. AND before you ask me, I can clearly see that you want to, no I don't know who your mate is."

Dejected, Sakura looked down at her hands. What was she going to do now? "So are you going to put my mark into the books now?"

"Well, now that you know about it,,," Tsunade looked at Sakura and could clearly see the panicked state she was in. ",,I can wait until you are eighteen." Smiling like she never done before Sakura jumped out of the chair and right onto Tsunade.

"THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!" Sakura yelled as she flung her arms around her sensei's neck. "You are the best sensei ever! Don't tell Kakashi that I said that."

Laughing like mad Tsunade hugged Sakura back. "If you don't stop you will be making Shizune worried!" She managed to get out between laughs.

"Sorry." Sakura took a step back and just in that moment who walked into the office? Shizune looked happy when she noticed Tsunade's laughing and Sakura's happy smile.

"I see that you two are having a nice morning." Shizune smiled at the two women. "So are you ready for your meeting now?" She turned her head towards the Hokage.

Looking at Sakura for a while Tsunade turned her eyes to Shizune. "Yes I believe I am."

 _End of flashback._

* * *

"So are you going to tell me more about this puremate?" Ino asked as she positioned herself at the couch. "Or am I looking at her right now?"

Sakura's eyes widened two seizes as she turned to look at the blonde. Sure enough Ino was sitting there smiling like she knew everything already and just waited for Sakura to declare that she was right. "I-I do-don't know what you are talking about." Sakura managed to get out but she could clearly hear how stupid it sounded. Nope Ino was never going to believe her now,,, or ever for that matter.

"Riiiight.." Ino muttered but it was clear that she really didn't' believe her. "So, are we going now?"

Sighing in relief Sakura took her purse and dragged her friend out from the apartment. _Thank god that I had half a brain to hide the papers about the date of me turning into a puremate! She would have been to curious to let it go if she found the paper with the names, time and dates. Ten names of people that live and lived in this village. All those ten people have the same birthday as the day I got my puremate status. Among all those names are Kakashi's name! I so hope that he is the one that is my soulmate!_ She had actually narrowed it down to only five people because three of the people on the list had died and her mark was still bright and beautiful. Then there were the other two that also didn't match with her parents' description. They had said that her reaction had come at the afternoon but at the exact time she didn't know. Still that was something and that had made two more people to be unqualified. Five people was still left,, and that was JUST people from this village! Even if it was very unusual there were soulmates that were from different villages.

No, it was best to keep that list hidden until she knew for certain who it was that were her soulmate. "Ino-pig are you sure that I look alright?" Sakura felt as if everyone they walked passed on the street were looking at her strangely.

"Forehead, I promise you that later tonight you will be having a hot piece of silver-haired jonin between your legs." Ino started to laugh like a maniac when she noticed Sakura's panicked look.

"PIG!" Sakura yelled and tried to hide her blushing cheeks.

Ino dried the tears that had formed in the corner of her eyes from laughing too much. "Forehead, promise me that you won't call me that in the bar."

"If you promise to stop saying stuff like that! Do you want me to have a heart attack?"

"I proooomiiiise." Ino said with a whine as she tried to make Sakura to go faster.

As they came closer to the bar Sakura felt her cockiness slowly fade away, suddenly her mind was filled with horrid thoughts about Kakashi telling her she looks like a hooker or telling her she is ugly or….

"Is that you Sakura-chan?!" Sakura looked up and saw Tenten and Hinata walking towards her. Tenten was wiggling her eyebrows with a smirk on her face.

"Doesn't she look nice?" Ino bragged as Tenten started to circulate her friend's body.

"Yeah, you look hot!" Tenten said and gave Sakura an approving look. "What do you think Hinata?"

Blushing worse than Sakura had done earlier that day, she looked up at her friends. "Y-you lo-look v-v-very good Sa-sakura-ch-chan."

All three of the girls turned towards Hinata with raised eyebrows. "Did you just stutter Hinata?" Sakura asked, she hadn't heard Hinata stutter in years, if Naruto wasn't around.

"I'm sorry, it-it's ju-just that I am a bi-bit nervous to help you Sakura, what if I do something stupid and destroy your chances with Kakashi-san." Hinata said.

"Don't worry. I am certain that if she fails,,, it is her own fault!" Ino said while she started to laugh.

Getting red in the face, Sakura punched Ino's arm. "Shut it Pig-face!" Sakura yelled and then turned her head. They were really there, in front of the bar. Who would have thought that the small innocent Sakura would be on her way into a bar trying to hook up with her ex-sensei. If her younger self had seen her now,,, well let's just say that there would be a bit of screaming at herself. Right after complementing herself on her sexy hot body. _What will Kakashi say? OMG what if he isn't there?! Please let him be there or else I am going to look like a complete moron. Maybe I already am a moron? With a huge forehead and small breast. Give me strength not to run screaming away from the bar in fear!_ "So are we going to,, go into the bar or what?"

"Wow, someone certainly seems eager to begin with the seduction." Tenten laughed when she noticed Sakura's blushing cheeks. "So what is the plan?"

Ino motioned them to come closer as she leaned towards the three girls. "Okay this is what we must do. Sakura you walk in to the bar last, even if I wanted to be the one making the dramatic entrance we have to make some commotion for him to notice you directly. And if I am the first to walk in there won't be any problems with the looks." She added with a huge load of confidence.

"Oh so you are saying that me or Hinata wouldn't make people turn their heads?" Tenten asked with a slight annoyance.

Ino looked a bit uncomfortable when she noticed the hard stare that Tenten was sending her and she turned her head for the other girls for some assistance. _I should let her drop to the ground,,, but it is Ino who helped me with this outfit, so I should be nice to her,,, at least for now._ "Tenten she didn't mean it like that. Can we please keep going with the plan? I am starting to feel a bit cold." Sakura rubbed her naked arms a bit and started to feel the regret for not bringing a coat.

"Oh, right. Well you all know the entrance,,, then you Sakura have to make Kakashi notice you more and maybe get a bit jealous. So I will attract some guys when we walk into the bar! Then we will have to fix so that you get close to Kakashi and BAM!" Ino clapped her hands together with such force that Sakura and Hinata jumped out of surprise. Tenten however was not affected by this and just stood where she was,,,, actually she was yawning out of boredom. "You have your prince and I have some sexy guy I met in the bar,, and maybe Naruto shows up and take Hinata here for a ride,,, and Tenten,,,,,,,,,,, ehhh you can just choose whoever you want."

"Thank you." Tenten said in a sarcastic tone and looked around them. The streets had become more crowded now and soon there would be even more people, walking around drunk with their friends, laughing and singing in the cold autumn night. "Let's get going then girls!"

* * *

 **Kakashi POV**

The bar was crowed as usual but it didn't really bother him as much today. The thing that really bothered him was his so-called friends that had brought him here. It was their fault. Their fault that he had to sit here, drinking a glass of beer and listening to the useless talk of Genma comparing different asses on the girls that walked passed their table. Sure they had decided a few days ago that they would go all go there and enjoy some beer but this morning,,, well lets just say that he had a dream about a certain pink-haired young woman. His whole body had been on fire when he had woken up. That kind of dream would haunt his mind forever. So being alone in his apartment and be left with his thoughts maybe hadn't been the best idea. He should be thankful but he would NEVER ever tell anyone that!

"Oh come on Hatake, live a little!" Genma put his arms around Kakashi who was in the middle of reading his trusted orange book. "Did you see that behind? I mean, I wouldn't kick her out of my bed in the morning."

Glancing up on his friend Kakashi quickly let his gaze travel down again. No, he didn't need to look at asses from different women to know that they would never make his heart beat faster. Sure, he was still a man and could enjoy the sight of a pretty ass now and then. But other than that, no,,, the only thing on his mind was a certain pink-haired ex-pupil of his. Even if he had denied it so many times it was no use anymore. He had fallen hard for Sakura. It was so bad that he tried his best to keep his distance for as long as possible. Taking the longest missions that required him to be away from home for a long period of time. Every time he got back from a mission he thought that his feelings for the younger woman had lessen but once he saw her again, walking towards him with her bright smile, looking more mature than before, he lost it and was back on square one again. _I wonder what she is doing tonight._ Kakashi hummed as he leaned back in his chair.

"Not that I am saying that I agree with Genma or anything but shouldn't you live a little bit? I mean you knew who your soulmate was since a few years ago and you told us that you would never tell her. So, what's the problem with giving another woman a chance instead?" Asuma said as he poured his second glass of beer this evening. "This is some great stuff!"

"What, has the famous Copy-nin found his soulmate?" Shizune asked, even if she didn't look like it she loved a piece of gossip every now and then. Hearing that Hatake Kakashi had found his soulmate was like someone had told her that Christmas would come early this year.

Everyone that actually knew who it was that they had been talking about looked very nervous. Not only was Shizune friends with Sakura but she also had direct connections with the Hokage. If this was handled poorly they all knew that Kakashi's head would be drilled into a wall in a near future. "Well, yeah but it is nothing really. She is not interested in me and would never be." Everyone turned in surprise to hear Kakashi speak about the subject. They all knew their friend and also knew that he would never talk about the soulmate thing if it was not necessary.

"Well that's sad. If she were to get to know you I am sure she would like you very much." Shizune smiled. Even if she was one of those few who didn't really care about finding her soulmate she still thought that IF you had found you other half, you should be with them.

Genma couldn't hold in his laughter as he heard her comment. "They are already close, very close." He said but regretted it in that same moment. They all knew that Shizune wasn't just nice and pretty but also very smart. So Kakashi wasn't very surprised as her eyes widened and she leaned very close to him.

"Please tell me it isn't who I think it is." She mumbled into his ear. The tone in her voice told Kakashi that he had to be smart about this or his head would be the next thing the Hokage would want on a silver platter. But then again,,, as Shizune thought about it, she remembered the Hokage talking about Sakura's soulmate and how much older he was.

"It is." Kakashi felt that it was safer to just be honest about it and he saw how the woman in front of him backed away from him slightly to take in his whole appearance. "But I won't ever tell her, nor am I going to do something about it." A slight disappointed sighed left almost everyone at the table. Some was hoping that he would get a slight beating from the woman and the others wished that he just came to his senses and told them his feelings for the young woman. But that would never happen if Kakashi allowed to keep being such a bonehead.

Shizune was one of those who looked very disappointed. The memories about what Tsunade had said the day before came suddenly to mind. The blonde woman had talked in her drunken state how happy she was that Sakura's parents had finally told their daughter the truth but what about she didn't know. Apparently, it was something about Sakura's soulmate and how it would change her entire life. And because Shizune was who she was, she understood that it had something to do about a certain book she had seen the Hokage holding onto. But that just couldn't be right? And if it was,,,,, what would Hatake say? If it was what she thought and if he was Sakura's soulmate. No something had to be done! As she slowly tried her best to figure something out, Shizune turned towards Anko and started to talk to the woman. It was like talking to a female Genma but it was alright, very entertaining and if Shizune was honest she kind of liked that odd senbon user.

"Well If you are not going to do anything about it can I have a go?" Genma asked his silver haired friend. Said friend somehow managed to keep a hold of himself to not strangle Genma right then and there in the bar. With widened eyes Genma noticed how the glass bottle in Kakashi's hand cracked into two pieces and all the liquid poured out onto the floor. "Sorry, I was just joking. But damn, talk about overprotective." Genma muttered as he noticed that everyone around the table were looking right at him and Kakashi.

"Did you say anything Genma?" Kakashi said as he turned a page in his book, pretending like the scene just seconds ago didn't happened. Asuma looked at the beer on the table and felt a bit sad,, that wonderful beverage had been sacrificed because that stupid idiot couldn't keep his mouth shut.

Asuma looked at his friends. "So have you learnt something about this Genma?" The senbon user looked a bit uncertain to what it was he should have learnt but still he nodded in response. "And you Kakashi." Kakashi turned his head slightly towards Asuma but still held his gaze on the books pages. "If you don't want Genma to touch her, just bloody say so! Stop breaking things! Plus you have to understand that if you don't want to claim her for your own, someone will snatch her up right in front of your nose." Asuma looked at him over his glass of beer.

"Oh the power of youth, how can you say no to that cherry of perfection my rival? If I had found my youthful perfection I would never had left her beautiful blossom alone." Gai said as he flung his hands up in the air. Kakashi felt sick, to hear something like that coming from that weird beast. "But I understand that Genma, that wonderful youthful guy wants to touch that young sweet blossom. Even if I understand that my student Lee will be devastated,,, how long has he been looking at that cherry of Konoha? My poor Lee."

Everyone looked at each other and slowly an uncomfortable feeling was spreading around the table. "Genma, what are you looking at?" Anko asked as she noticed how the senbon user stared at Shizune's breast. The shirt was so tight that he got a clear view on exactly everything he wanted to see.

"Nothing, nothing." Genma mumbled and turned his head toward the entrance, maybe he would find someone worthy to take home tonight. If he didn't manage to take the little sexy Shizune home. That was when he saw it. The door opened up to the bar and revealed three girls standing there looking so perfectly fuckable that he had to control himself to not drop the senbon he had in his mouth. Hinata, her tight dress went just below her knees and matched her purple eyes perfectly. Then there was the Yamanaka girl, her clothes looked more like straps that had been swirled around her body and made his imagination run wild. So much things he could do to that body! Last there was Tenten who walked into the bar with confidence, her dress was somewhat the usual Chinese style but shorter and a low backside. The girls looked like they were out on a mission.

"Come on forehead!" Ino yelled as she turned around towards the door that was slightly opened.

Genma smiled as he got himself ready for another babe to walk into the pub, but what he saw was nothing he ever imagine. He turned to his silver-haired friend and apparently he was dumbstruck.

 _What the HELL is she wearing?!_ Kakashi looked like he was entranced. Sakura walked into the bar with slight help from her blonde friend (slight help, meaning getting dragged into the bar with a lot of force) but Kakashi could care less. Sakura, his sweet soulmate was dressed in a tight, red, short and revealing dress that made his blood boil. Around her neck sat a red ribbon that was tied in the back and made her look like a birthday present. The shoes made her look slightly taller and so sexy. Not knowing how he should behave Kakashi tried his best to go back to reading his trusted book but found it impossible. The only thing that stopped him from putting the book down was the fact that everyone around his table was looking at him knowingly. "What?" Kakashi felt a bit annoyed at how good his friends actually were at reading him.

"Nothing, Kakashi." Anko said and twirled around the straw in her glass between her fingers. "It just looked like you were ready to pounce on the poor girl in any second now. I was just waiting for it to happen."

"It won't happen so you can just stop looking at me!" Kakashi was thankful that he was wearing a mask or else everyone would have seen his slight blush on his cheeks. Of course would they understand, they had all known him for many years. Why couldn't he stop looking at her? _Shit, if I thought that my dream was bad,,, this doesn't even compare! This is hell! I have to look away now!_ He turned his head down and looked at the words written in his book, but they didn't make any sense. At all. _So much for being a genius._

"Oh look the fantastic four is looking in our direction." Genma pointed out and Kakashi couldn't stop himself from turning around to see for himself. He regretted it directly. Everyone around his table snickered and Kakashi felt like his heart was going melt when his eye met the green perfect eyes of Sakura. A jolt of warmth rushed through his veins and then he saw her smile at him, Kakashi knew that he was going have an awesome dream tonight. After a short while Sakura turned her head around. She and her friends leaned against the bar to order drinks. It was horrible to see Sakura's already short skirt rise even more. Just a bit more and he would be able to see what kind of underwear she wore that night. And what was worse was the fact that he noticed some guys looking at the girls and one of them was checking out Sakura's ass. Rage filled his entire being and he tried hard to stop it but in vain. "Kakashi, I think that if you don't want little pinky to be taken by another man other than yourself, you should go there to interfere." Genma smiled as he saw the slight twitch in Kakashi otherwise stoic face.

"I am her sensei so I shouldn't interfere." Kakashi mumbled both for himself and to answer Genma. But it was clear that it had been hard for him to say that.

Asuma who also had been watching was now a bit worried. One of those scantily clad women was his ex-student. "But maybe you should go there and talk to them. Those guys are looking like they only want a one night,." He didn't need to say anything else as Kakashi rose from his chair and without so much as a word to his friends he walked over to the bar. _My beer did break so I should go there to buy a new one. I am just going there to buy a beer and if Sakura notice me, well who am I to not go there and talk to her for a while?_

As he came closer to the bar, so did the guys and with his especially good hearing he could hear them talk about the four girls and one in particular, that the brown headed guy said he would not have anything against fucking her in the alley behind the bar if he got the chance. That did it for Kakashi and with hurried steps he closed the distance between him and the girls. The guys from before looked a bit shocked when a large man suddenly stood right between them and the girls. Just as one of them were going to ask Kakashi to move, he turned around and looked right at them. The look he gave them told them that if they didn't step away soon he was going to kill them. So, with their tails between their legs, all the guys hurried away out of the bar.

"Kakashi-san." Hinata said with a blush on her cheeks as she noticed him standing behind them. "H-how are you today?" Even if she had gotten over the most of her stuttering she still hadn't mastered the art of speaking as well as she wished. But Kakashi thought it was a great step in the right direction for her to greet him.

"I am fine, Hinata-chan and very happy to have met you all here." He turned towards the other girls and let his eyes linger a bit longer on the pink-haired woman before him. It was evident that she was more stunning from this distance. Her perfectly shaped face with that magical hair framing it perfectly. The makeup she had on made her look a bit older and a lot more seductive than she usually looked. Kakashi could feel his heart speed up as he met those green emerald eyes. _I hope they can't hear my heart or I would be so busted!_ Slowly he let his eyes wander down her form and met the obvious cleavage her dress was showing. Kakashi never understood why Sakura felt ashamed of her breast but he had heard her enough to know that this was a sensitive subject. But to him,, there was no one that had more perfect breast than her. Feeling a bit embarrassed at his own thought Kakashi turned towards the bartender and ordered his beer.

"Well, we are all happy to see you too! Right Sakura?" Ino said as she pushed her friend forward towards her sensei.

Sakura lowered her eyes and bit her lower lip. _She always does that when she is nervous. Fuck she must stop doing that! It drives me crazy!_ "Yeah, I am really happy to meet you here sensei. So, that I can invite you to my party next weekend. It is my eighteen birthday and I would be so happy if you could come to celebrate it with me." The beautiful emerald eyes held him in his place and Kakashi felt like he could die a happy man right now. She wanted him to be there to celebrate her special day with her. _Shit I hope they can't see me blushing!_ If he didn't have his mask they all would have seen very red cheeks.

"I will see what I can do." Kakashi said and gave her a crescent smile. Sakura however didn't buy it and looked at him with slight disappointment.

"Sure." Was all she said as she turned back towards the bar.

Ino looked between her friend and Kakashi for a while. Suddenly if you were watching closely, you could see an evil glint appearing in her eyes. "So Sakura who is the lucky guy you will fuck tonight?"

It was so sudden that Sakura who had just took a sip from her drink just sprayed it out right on the bar and Kakashi felt his hands closing into tight fists. Hinata and Tenten who both was standing on the side line looked like they would faint in any moment out of pure shock. "Wh-what the hell INO-PIG?!" Sakura yelled as she wiped her chin.

"Well, she would never tell anyone Kakashi-san but Sakura is a virgin and she would just loooove to get a good scratch right about now." Ino said with a smirk. She was completely trying to avoid looking at her pink-haired friend who was fuming with embarrassment and anger.

Kakashi looked at Ino for a while, he tried his best to hide the emotions that was suddenly growing inside of him. _No one is going to touch Sakura when I am watching! Wait no,,,, I mean if I don't want to start a relationship with her,, which I do not,,,, well then maybe I should just shut up,,, I mean she is my soulmate but that doesn't mean that she is my property,,, she doesn't belong to me… No she is mine!_ Slowly Kakashi turned towards Sakura who was till glaring daggers at her friend. "Well, Sakura think carefully who you want to lose it. You don't want to regret it later. Plus being a virgin is not something that is shameful. You should hold on to it until your wedding night!" Even if Kakashi felt that what he said was perfectly reasonable,, the girls apparently didn't think so. Every one of them were looking at him with a stunned expression.

"Ehh,, Kakashi-san,, I don't think people do that anymore." Tenten smiled at his reaction, he looked surprised but it was clear that he was only joking with them.

"What? They don't? How shocking? Here I thought that everyone was waiting to have sex until their wedding night." Kakashi said in a mocking tone.

"Well some wait but not for their wedding night but for their soulmate." Hinata said, she had finally gotten her courage up to speak without stuttering. Sakura tried to glance his way to see his reaction to what Hinata had said. In the corner of his visible eye, Sakura could see a hint of hurt and worry, but only for a second before he masked his feelings again. She didn't understand why

Ino looked at him for a while and then she giggled a bit by the thought of Sakura having to wait until she was married. That would probably wouldn't happen in at least five years or more. What if she never got married? No, she needed to make Kakashi notice her and take her home for some good fucking! Apparently, it wouldn't be a problem to make Kakashi notice her. From the way he looked at Sakura when he thought no one saw him,,, it was priceless! "Oh,, so are you a virgin then Kakashi?" Ino asked him.

Feeling like he was caught, Kakashi looked around as he nervously scratched his neck. "Why do you want to know Ino-chan?"

"Well I thought that if you weren't a virgin, you could teach forehead here some moves." Ino winked at her friend and then she did something Sakura wasn't prepared to. She pushed the pink-haired woman right into Kakashi.

Ever the ninja, Kakashi easily caught Sakura in his arms and steadied her in his arms. She was so light, so soft and smelled so good that Kakashi didn't noticed the thing that happened to Sakura in the fall. Somehow Ino hadn't just pushed her friend into Kakashi's arms but also, (surely by mistake) the ribbon that was tied in the neck had come loose. It wouldn't have been a problem if it wasn't for the dress being a halter neck, and therefore it was held in place by that ribbon. "Are you alright Sakura?" Kakashi said and tried to steady her, that was when he laid his eyes on her now clearly visible black lace bra. The blood was suddenly flushing from his nose and he again thanked the powers above that he was wearing a mask AND that it was dark. Thinking fast to make sure that no one could see Sakura in that state (he just knew what Genma that pervert would think) Kakashi threw his vest of his body and shielded Sakura's body with it in less than one minute.

Sakura just stood there looking at her ex-sensei. First, she was so embarrassed to have been shoved by Ino right into Kakashi and then her dress had come loose so she happened to flash him with her totally unattractive breast. Then he had done something that made her heart swell, he had taken his jonin vest of,, something he rarely walked without if he wasn't on an ANBU mission, and he wrapped it around her upper body to shield her. She was so grateful for Kakashi's help. Blushing every shade of red Kakashi could think of, Sakura turned her face and looked directly on Kakashi. "Thanks for the help,, Kakashi." It was so embarrassing, but she had to keep her head cool, if not they would be thrown out from the bar. But she knew that once they walked out of there, she would have to punch Ino hard in the face for pulling such a stunt. "I am s-so sorry!" Sakura felt tears forming in the corner of her eyes and because she didn't want anyone to see her cry ,,,,,she grabbed a tighter hold on Kakashi's vest and then ran towards the ladies room.

Stunned, Kakashi just stood there looking after his ex-student as she hurried past a few people. He understood perfectly well why she was embarrassed but it hadn't been her fault. "So are one of you going after her?" Kakashi asked the girls who was all standing still, looking at the direction Sakura had disappeared to.

After shaking her head, Ino lowered her eyes to the floor. "I will do it, it was my fault." She said and turned to Tenten and Hinata. They nodded in agreement and told their friend that they would order a drink to Sakura for when she returned. Before Ino hurried after friend, she turned towards Kakashi. "I am truly sorry Kakashi, we were just having some fun and I didn't plan on pushing her right at you. Sometimes I forget how strong I can be,, especially when Sakura is standing on heels." Feeling like she had apologised enough Ino ran to the bathrooms and searched for Sakura.

After making sure he paid the bartender for the beer he left the two young ladies at the bar and walked back to the group of people he sometime called his friends. Well,, he was thinking about changing that after tonight. "Soooo, have you decided if you will fuck her or not? Or can I have a go?" Genma asked at the exact time as Kakashi sat down on his chair. Not even giving a hint that he heard him, Kakashi just simply used one of his legs and pushed away the chair that Genma had been seated on and the senbon user fell rather ungracefully to the floor. "What the heck Hatake?!" He shouted as he tried to stand up from the sticky floor.

"Did you say something?" Kakashi asked as he looked at his friend who was glaring at him from the floor.

"You are so hip my rival!" Gai said as he stood up and waved to a waitress who was just going around asking people if they wanted a refill. "Please my blossoming youthful woman can you be so kind to fill this glass with one of your honey smelling beer?" As the waitress came to the table Kakashi noticed a blush spreading on her cheeks from Gai's statement. And apparently he wasn't nearly finished with his odd behaviour. "Oh what a beautiful day for such a goddess to walk among us mortals, such shine on that alabaster skin would make even the sun fade in comparison."

Kakashi felt like he wanted to puke when he noticed that not just the waitress had been affected by Gai's speech but also some ladies at his table and the tables around theirs. _I hope Sakura doesn't fall for such crap,, but if she did then she would have given Lee a chance by now._

"That was so wonderful Gai!" Kurenai said as she leaned against her husband. "Why can't you say stuff like that to me?" Asuma who was just finishing his fifth glass of beer turned to look at his wife.

"If I talked like that all the time you wouldn't appreciate it. Plus, I am not that kind of guy, you know that." He told her before he picked up a cigarette from his pocket and started to smoke, much to Kurenai's anger. She hated it when he smoked, especially since they had started to try for a baby.

Looking a bit angry Kurenai turned her head towards Kakashi. "Ne, Kakashi, wouldn't you speak like that if your soulmate asked that of you?"

Even if it was evident from his horrid expression, Kakashi still felt it was best to make stuff clear. "No, I would never ever do that. Not even if it was a mission. I would rather go missing-nin on this village than say stuff like that." After he was done he could hear Asuma and Yamato's light snicker. Gai however didn't see what was so horrible with the way he talked to women and continued when the waitress returned with their drinks.

"So how did it go with the girls?" Shizune asked as she cast a look behind her and saw that Sakura had once again made an appearance at the bar. Even if she didn't like the short dress or how revealing it was, she still felt happy to know that Sakura had decided to return after that fiasco from before. Even if she hadn't seen what happened she could puzzle it together, especially since Kakashi had wrapped his vest around Sakura's body.

"They are fine, just having a girls' night."

"Oh that sounds like fun." Shizune said as she glanced at Kakashi's expression. Something in her mind told her that the Copy ninja tried to hide something that had been said. "So nothing interesting then?"

A no was all that came out from Kakashi's lips before he started to read his trusted book once more. _I wonder if Sakura is still upset. I hope not. Wonder if I will get my vest back tonight,,, what if it smells like her when she gives it back,, that would be so awsome! No, stop thinking that! She is your student,, ex-student! It is not right even if she is your soulmate._

"Kakashi?" A soft perfect voice woke him up from his thoughts and Kakashi turned towards the sound. There stood Sakura, near their table. Her cheeks were red, her eyes a bit more glistening and her hair a bit tangled. "I-I,,. Thank you for letting me borrow this!" She handed over his vest with a bright smile on her lips. Looking first at Sakura and then at the vest, Kakashi gently took it from her hands and held it near his body.

"No problem Sakura." He gave her a crescent smile and waited for her to continue speaking if she had something more to say.

"Well if it isn't the sweet cherry of Konoha." Genma said as he stood from his stool and greeted her in a friendly manner. "So, what do you say sexy, do you want to come over tonight and maybe watch a movie?"

Thinking that if Genma continued his speech he would have to kill him, Kakashi waited for Sakura's answer. Even if he didn't think that Genma was her type, he was still a bit worried. But apparently in vain. Laughing like a maniac, Sakura just shook her head. "No thank you."

Genma looked a bit disappointed for a moment. "Oh, too bad. I could have shown you something really good." He winked.

But even now Sakura just stood there looking a bit amused by Genma's advances. "Yeah and hell just froze over." Then she turned her head towards Kakashi and gave him a warm smile. "Thank you again Kakashi for the help." Sakura looked around the table for a moment then she turned towards the silver-haired jonin. "Sooo, I think it is time for me to go." Sakura turned around and started to make her way towards the door.

Before Kakashi could stop himself, he grab a hold of Sakura's arm. Shocked by his actions, Sakura turned around and watched Kakashi's hand on her arm. "I,,, ehh,,, I was just thinking that I want to,, ask you what you wish to have on your birthday." He felt like such a stupid idiot. Why was he stopping her from leaving? And WHY did he just sound so stupid in front of Genma? Kakashi could just feel the stares that Genma was sending him. So embarrassing! Hearing snickering erupt from the others around the table Kakashi knew that if he didn't move away from the table soon he would turn towards those snickering stupid idiots and hand out a few punches. Especially to a certain senbon user! Even if he knew that the comments would erupt the next time they all got together he just couldn't stay where he was. Still having his hand on her arm Kakashi led them away from the table and out of the busy warm bar, into the cold outside.


	4. Chapter 4- missions and a birthday

Hello everyone!

I hope you are feeling awesome! I really hope you will like this chapter, it is a bit jumpy I think but please don't lose hope in me, because next chapter won't be. This is from both Sakura and Kakashi's POV but in different part of the story.

Thank you ALL for liking and following the story.

A SPECIAL THANKS TO THOSE WHO HAVE LEFT REVIEWS! I love to read them X3 So please leave reviews if you want and can!

To answer one review from last chapter, JigokuShoujosRevenge, no Kakashi doesn't know that he is a puremate,,,,,, but he will soon find out,,,,, MOHIHIH! Evil laughter! X3

Have an awesome day!

HUGS and KISSES!

* * *

Chapter 4- Missions and a birthday

The street was full of drunk people walking around, laughing about something they found entertaining. Kakashi looked over his shoulder and he felt his heart skip a beat when he saw Sakura. She looked so uncertain, so cute and ,,,… _Fuck I did it again!_ With a slight glance around him, Kakashi noticed that some males were looking at Sakura's bare legs. Looking around he tried to find somewhere that they could be alone and not be disturbed by ogling males looking for a good time.

After a slight walk Kakashi found a small alleyway that looked like it would be perfect. Steering them there Kakashi didn't even notice the growing blush on Sakura's cheeks. "I think this will be fine." Kakashi muttered mostly for himself.

Sakura glanced up at him through her eyelashes. "Fine for what, Kakashi?"

Fighting hard not to blush Kakashi couldn't help but wonder that himself, why in heavens name had he dragged her out of the warm pub to a dark alleyway? "-"Ehh. For me to ask what you want for your birthday. I just thought that maybe you didn't want anyone else to hear." Yeah, that sounded a slight bit believable but nothing he could do about it now.

Sakura looked down to her shoes and tried to fight of the urge to hug him right there. How sweet was it that he asked what she wished for? Never in her life had she seen Kakashi look cuter than right at that moment! But no she knew better than to hug her ex-sensei. "We-well I don't really know what I want exactly…. I just know one thing." She paused and looked up at Kakashi through her long, thick eyelashes. "I just wish for you to be there." As if she just realized what she had said, Sakura blushed and shook her head. "No, I-I di-didn't mean it like that,, well I did, but it's not like it sounds, the only present I want from you are yourself,,, No I mean,,,, you being there not in the sexual kind of,,,,,, I will just stop talking."

Fighting hard Kakashi tried his hardest not to burst out into a fit of laughter, but it was really difficult! She just looked so adorable and funny when she tried her hardest to explain herself. But, instead of laughing at her, Kakashi settled for a light snicker. "I think I understand what you meant Sakura and don't worry I will not appear on your doorstep with nothing on me other than a bow wrapped around my body."

 _HOLEY SHIT,,,, if he did that I would surely get a heart attack! Oh he would look so fucking hot like that! Wrapped in a,,, shit he is looking at me,,,, he is expecting me to answer him! Say something!_ "Yeah that would have been slightly bad, I don't think my neighbours would appreciate that." _Screw my neighbours! I would love to find that outside my door!_

"Oh? Well we wouldn't want them to feel uncomfortable." Kakashi said in a smooth low tone that made Sakura's toes curl. "But I will see what I can do. If Tsunade sends me on a mission I promise to get you something nice."

Smiling so wide that she felt her cheeks strain, Sakura launched herself at Kakashi. "Thank you so much Kakashi!" She yelled as she pressed her body against his. He stumbled back a few steps from the impact and looked down at the woman who still had her arms wrapped around his torso. Smiling underneath his mask Kakashi drew his arms around her and gave her a slight embrace that left both him and Sakura wishing for more.

"So, do you want me to follow you home?" Kakashi asked as he let go of her small form. She had fitted to perfectly against his body and that scent from her hair would haunt him for days.

"Sure, if you want to." Sakura smiled at him and slowly made her way passed him and into the streets.

Kakashi felt a slight pull towards the petit creature in front of him. "You never know what kind of perverts that lurks in the dark."

Laughing at his comment Sakura turned around so that she ended up walking backwards. "Oh and I don't suppose that the icha icha reading weirdo that offered to walk me home doesn't count?"

Feigning to think about it Kakashi rubbed his chin. "Well, no I am kind of a special pervert. I only prey on those who are in the legal age and who are NOT drunk." He added with a wink.

Feeling a bit angry from hearing his comment, Sakura closed her fists and turned around so that she could see where she was putting her feet. She felt like a stupid idiot. Getting all dressed up for the night only to realize that he still only saw her as a small child. AND he was claiming that she was drunk! What a nerve on some people! "I am freezing so should we hurry up or what?" Sakura could feel him getting closer and she let out a sigh. Hopefully she would be able to go home without saying or doing something stupid. Then she heard a slight shuffling of fabric and when she turned around to see that it was,,, Kakashi bumped his jonin vest right at her. Scolding at him like crazy in her mind she hurried to pull off the vest from her head. When she successfully managed to pull the damn thing of her she noticed the slight smirking expression on Kakashi. "Really, you just had to mess up my hair? If you wanted to be a gentleman and let me borrow your vest you should just have given it to me." Sakura said as she gave him her best pouting expression.

 _I had to do that! That looked a bit funny, seeing her struggling to get it off her, priceless! But damn it was a good thing I came up with that idea, if I hadn't then maybe I would have,,,, NO stop thinking such things! She is TOO young for me!_ "Sorry Sakura, I just thought that your ears looked a bit cold. I didn't want you to get frozen ears." Kakashi said as he walked next to the gaping kunoichi. Apparently, she hadn't bought that lame explanation.

"Yeah right." Sakura turned her head towards the street before her and decided to not comment the subject more than that. After pulling on the vest around her body Sakura felt a warmth feeling spread in her heart. The vest smelled just like Kakashi, that perfect blend of the forest, rain and something that was just him. _I really hope that Kakashi forgets his vest tonight. So that I can lay it beside me when I go to sleep tonight. I wonder if I can just tell him that I am scared of sleeping alone and that I would feel much better with his vest near me,,,,,, or even better, him in person. Nah, he would never believe such a lie._

The streets were full of people tripping in and out of different pubs, singing bad songs or fighting. Yeah, even if it was a chilly night Konoha wasn't a calm place. Not by a long shot. There was some people that both Sakura and Kakashi recognized as they walked by the different masses of people. To Kakashi's disappointment, the vest hadn't hidden Sakura's shapely legs, in fact it had only made them look even longer and more appealing. So it was not surprise to him that as they walked down the street, some men was calling to Sakura or whistling. If he had the chance, he would have beaten down every single one of those perverts for even looking at Sakura. But no that would mean that he really did like her in that way and no he wasn't just going to admit to that! No way! She was to young for him and he was to old. Even if they were soulmates, that didn't mean that she couldn't find happiness somewhere else! Kakashi didn't even know if she liked him in that way,,,, no he was certain that she didn't like him like that,,,, even if that caused a slight pain in his heart for even thinking that. _I don't like her in that way so just stop feeling stuff like that! If I feel pain in my chest every time I think about someone else with Sakura,,,,,,, well that just sends the wrong signals! So stop, she is not mine and will never be mine._ Pain erupted once again in his chest when he thought about Sakura marrying some punk who didn't deserve her.

"Ka-ka-shi? Hello?" Sakura said as she waved her hand in front of his face. "Are you in there?"

Blinking a few times Kakashi looked around and noticed that they were already at Sakura's place. _Damn that was fast!_ "Sorry Sakura, I was just thinking about something."

Feeling dejected Sakura stared down on the ground. _Am I that boring?_ "It's alright, I am sure that you had more important things to do tonight than walking me home." She muttered as she pulled out the keys from her purse.

His eyes widened a bit at hearing that comment. "No Sakura, I am actually happy that you managed to save me from a night out with those people back at the bar. Let's just say that last time the gang were out, I had to carry both Asuma and Gai home while Kurenai walked beside me telling me that I didn't have to do that." He shrugged as the memory of Asuma throwing up just as he had put him down, he was just lucky that he didn't need to clean that up. Poor Kurenai had gotten that task in her hands. Well she had actually ordered him to go home and told him that she could handled the rest but still,, he had felt a bit sorry for her when he had gotten home to his clean apartment. "Did you have a nice time out with the girls tonight?"

"Yeah it was fun, the short time we were out." She laughed as she though back to the bar and that their plan hadn't really worked. Ino had told Sakura she was sorry, like a thousand times in the bathroom while she helped Sakura with the dress. Even if Sakura had been mad as HELL, she still knew that it had been an accident. But it had changed her plans for the evening and now she was standing outside her apartment with the man of her dreams. "Eh, do you,, want some tea before you leave?" Sakura asked a bit unsure of herself. Did that question make her sound like an easy woman? Or did it sound like a friend just asking another friend?

After regaining his usual expression from that somewhat shocked look, Kakashi shook his head. "No I don't think that is a good idea Sakura. I can see that you are tired and I am to, but maybe some other time." He gave her his usual eye crinkle. Just as he was about to leave he turned to Sakura. "May I have my vest back?"

"Oh dear! I totally forgot about that!" Sakura said with widened eyes, she really hoped she sounded genuine. She pulled down the zipper of the vest and then she let it slowly drop from her shoulders, down her arms (she tried to look sexy). "Here you go, Kakashi." She breathed out as she handed the vest back to him. She felt the need to make a fist pump in the air as she noticed his reaction to her voice.

"Right, yeah,, I mean thanks. Good night Sakura, bye." He hurried to wave goodbye and then he disappeared in a swoosh of leaves.

 _Oh shit, I really got to him! YES! Woohoooo, a step in the right direction!_ Sakura leaped into her apartment and secured the door after herself. Finally back in her apartment Sakura sank down on the floor and smiled. The scent from Kakashi's vest lingered on her body and she breathed it in. A familiar heat spread in her stomach as she felt the lingering intoxicating scent. "I want him so bad!" Sakura mumbled as she let her fingers trail down her body.

* * *

In the bar Genma sat there fuming of happiness as he though back to his friend and that little cherry blossom that said friend had just escaped with. Ideas of how to taunt the masked bastard were filling his mind. "Genma?" A sweet voice said right next to his ear and he turned to see Shizune smiling at him.

"Sorry little minx, what did you say." He said in the most seductive voice he could muster. Apparently it worked as Shizune blushed ten shades of red.

"Well I was just asking if you, maybe want to come back to my place. To look at a movie." She stuttered out and Genma couldn't really put his finger on it, but it was something about this woman that made his insides boil of excitement.

"Sure sexy, lets go." He said as he slowly stood up. Shizune payed the waitress for the drinks and they left the still full pub.

After they walked into Shizune's apartment she flopped down on her sofa as Genma stood there looking around the place. It was a really nice looking apartment and he could just imagine some perfect places to have sex in. "Genma I lied to you, I didn't want you to come home with me so that we could watch some movie." Shizune explained a bit embarrassed.

 _Oh I like where this is going!_ Genma though as he sat down next to Shizune in the sofa. "Oh, I had no idea." He smirked and slowly leaned closer to the woman next to him.

Shizune looked down at her lap and sighed. "I just couldn't say it out loud, if anyone else knew about this,,, I don't even want to think about it." She admitted.

Feeling a bit shocked Genma leaned back into his seat, well he had been with his fare share of women and he could understand why that would be embarrassing for Shizune to admit that she also had gotten a taste of Genma. But that didn't stop it from hurting a bit. "I understand and I promise you I will not tell a soul."

Shizune turned and smiled at him. "I knew I could trust you Genma!" She gave him a quick hug and then she turned her eyes towards her living room table. "Well I just need to tell you this, I am not even supposed to know about this but you know the Hokage talks a bit much when she drinks and now when I got the information in the pub from you all,,,, well I just have to tell you as you are one of Kakashi-san's closest friend."

Feeling a bit confused Genma just sat there waiting for what ever it was that Shizune was talking about. He could clearly see that this was weighting her down. "Shizune you can tell me anything, you don't have to worry about a thing."

Sighing in relief Shizune gave him a relaxing smile. "Okay, well here it goes." She took a deep breath and then she started to explain how she had discovered the Hokage's sudden interest of puremates and how Tsunade had spoken about Sakura in her extremely intoxicating state. "I know that I can't be hundred percent sure, but I just had to tell you. I think Kakashi and Sakura are puremates."

Genma just sat there staring at the pretty woman in front of him. Was she serious? It felt like he had won a huge price at some lottery. How could he use this new information to make life a living hell for his friend? Evil thoughts appeared in his head as he could imagine being at the party with Kakashi next to him and see the transformation! _I MUST be near him when that happen!_ "Well Shizune, I don't know why you wanted to tell me. Shouldn't it had been better to tell Kakashi himself?"

Blushing a slight bit, Shizune looked up at Genma under her lashes. "Well, I don't want to scare Kakashi and now that I suddenly got the information that he is Sakura's soulmate….. Well I just couldn't say something so huge to him, there is still that one percent chance that I am wrong." She looked down at her hands and discovered that she was fidgeting, she never did that, ever! What was wrong with her today?

"Shizune." Genma said and it made her feel a wave of emotions flow through her body. "You are an amazing woman, if you think that Kakashi and Sakura are puremates, I believe you! I would never ever think that you did a mistake about something like this." Genma looked over at her with a special warmth that made Shizune's stomach curl with anticipation and as he carefully stroked her cheek all thoughts about what they previously had spoken of were gone from both minds.

"So are you as good as they say, kitty?" Shizune ask Genma as she lean in against the senbon user.

Wriggling his eyebrows, Genma looks at her with slight mischief. "Well, that depends what you have heard and if you are going to keep calling me kitty." Even if it wasn't so unusual for him to be called nicknames, he had never heard that one before and it sent pleasant chills down his spine. No one knew this, well just some of his friends, but his soulmark was in a shape of a cat's head, with two round big eyes. So to be called kitty was,,,, a bit unnerving and slightly sexy. Shizune laughed as she sat down on Genma's lap and started to nuzzle his neck. _This is perrrfect!_ Genma thought as he sank further down in the sofa with Shizune still straddling his lap.

* * *

Kakashi felt like he had gone through a 5000 miles marathon with Gai when he finally came home after saying goodbye to Sakura. After kicking of his shoes when he stepped into the apartment, he went to bed. He was even so exhausted that he didn't have the energy to take off his clothes, so he just laid down on his bed and placed the blanket over him while planning to wash the sheets tomorrow.

Thinking back to the day and why he was so tired, Kakashi almost wanted to hit his head through the wall. The memories of his ex-student standing outside her apartment, looking at him with those big emerald eyes. And then she asked him up to her apartment! Why had she asked him to join her for tea at this time of night?! Well his dirty, horrible mind came up with a few ideas to why she had asked him but he didn't want to believe in something so ridiculous. _But why is the thought of her asking you up to her apartment for some good fucking a ridiculous thought? Come on, she gave you a hint that she wanted you so bad. Come on, did you not see her eyes just binding us to her?! Why the hell didn't you just,,_ Kakashi heard a voice say in his head. Groaning because his thoughts didn't seem to be able to stop, Kakashi took up his trusted book and started to read. Sadly that didn't help,,, noo the man-characters just morphed into him and Sakura. "I hate myself!" He said outload as he summoned Pakkun, maybe the little ninken could help him, give him some good advice or at least take his mind of Sakura's perfect body for just a few seconds.

With a slight poof, Pakkun appeared on the floor next to Kakashi's bed. "Yo." The little pug said as he looked around the room "What's up boss? Do you need help? Why do you smell like that pink-haired student of yours?"

"Ex-student." Kakashi corrected the little pug before he lifted him up on the bed. "I lent out the vest to her when I walked her home from the bar."

"Ohh." The little pug then sniffed around and turned to look at Kakashi. "So, have you mated with her yet or,,,,?"

This caught Kakashi in such a surprise that he fell out of his bed and dragged the poor little pug with him in the fall. Grumbling a bit when he tried to sit back up, Kakashi casted a sour look at the ninken who was trying to escape from the blanket prison. "Wh-why would you say something like that?!" Kakashi yelled at Pakkun as he helped the little guy out from the blanket that had swirled around him in the fall. "I didn't want you to,,, I mean,, I didn't summon you to talk about stuff like that,,, even if nothing happened. I mean I would never want something to happen between me and Sakura,, we are just friends."

When he finally managed to pop his head out of the fluffy blanket, Pakkun looked at Kakashi as if he was the stupidest human ever. "And people call you a genius." He huffed in disappointment before he jumped down on the floor. "Sorry boss but it seems that it wasn't something important you wanted so I'm heading back to the pack. Bye." The small pug gave Kakashi a smile and before Kakashi could stop him, he poofed away.

"Well that didn't help at all!" Kakashi muttered to himself as he felt a slight blush spread over his cheeks. "I am just thankful that no one saw or heard that just now."

As he was on he way to put the blanket up on the bed Kakashi heard the sound of his doorbell. He cast a look at the clock next to his bed and decided that whoever it was that disturbed him just as he was headed for bed,,, they were going to pay! Thankful that he had his vest still on and all his shuriken to be able to defend himself OR scare of the stupid idiot that disturbed him, he walked down the corridor towards the door.

A sound of the bell rang again as he made his way through his apartment. "I'm coming, just bloody wait a moment." He shouted to whoever stood on the other side of the door. Gripping the door handle with such force that it broke he opened the door to find Sakura standing there in a see-through pink robe. Under it she had the dress from earlier tonight. "Sakura, what are you doing here and in the middle of the night?" Before he had the chance to invite her in Sakura launched herself at him. She hugged him close to her body, her soft, perfect body that felt soo good in that soft robe.

"Kakashi, I am sorry, but I can't seem to stop myself! I need you! I want you so bad!" She pleaded as she looked up at him with the sexiest pout Kakashi had ever seen. _Wait, sexiest? No stop brain, if not, you will just regret it!_

Using a bit more force than he first had thought he needed, Kakashi tried to push the perfect woman of him. "Sakura, I think you are drunk. Maybe if you sit down here and just talk then maybe you can tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing is wrong Kakashi, I just can't take it anymore! I need you! I need you right now!" She said and rather aggressively she grabbed his vest and ripped it in two pieces. Kakashi didn't have the time to react as Sakura pulled him into his bedroom and threw him on the bed. "I tried to make you understand my intentions the whole night! But a girl only has so much patience."

Understanding that she had to be affected by something, maybe a drug, Kakashi tried to get away from the extremely strong woman who was just now slowly making her way up on his bed as she let her clothes glide of her body. "Sakura please, come to your senses!" Kakashi begged as he held up his hand. Sakura just smiled at his reaction and slowly took a hold of his hand and placed a few fluttering kisses on his fingers. The sensation alone was almost enough to make him fall of the edge of common sense.

"Kakashi,,,,,, you know you want me." She said in a sultry tone as she leaned closer to his face.

Kakashi felt a slight bit of panic erupt in his chest. Did he want her? Well she was certainly a beauty and only the slightest touch of her lips did things to his heart that he never felt before. Maybe that was the power of a soulmate? Did every soulmate feel this way when their partner kissed their fingers? Or was it just him being extra sensitive? "Sakura I am to old-"

She caught him off as she pressed her lips to his. He would never be able to compare the sensation of her lips pressed to his, for anything in the whole world. Her lips were soft as velvet, she tasted like strawberries and vanilla. "Don't ever say something like that! You are perfect for me!" Sakura said between kisses. Their hunger for each other grew as their kisses began to deepen. "Please Kakashi!" She moaned in his mouth.

"Wh-what do you want Sakura?" he asked huskily as he licked her lower lip to get entrance.

"I want you inside me!"

Kakashi sat up in his bed in utter shock. It was dark outside and as he looked down at his body he noticed that he still had his clothes on. When had he fallen asleep? Where was Sakura? He sniffed around the room and the only scent from her was plastered on his vest. Then he realized it had been a dream. Just a fucking dream! Looking down at his lap he noticed a bulge in his pants. Even if he didn't feel like taking care of it, he knew that it would become painful in the end if he didn't do anything about it. Sighing, he stood up from the bed and felt the slight motion to be enough for him to fall to his knee from the sensation of the clothes rubbing against him. As he sat there the scent from his vest flooded his thoughts. The perfect scent of Sakura, her sweet scent of vanilla, strawberries (the scent of her shampoo, Pakkun still used the same one as her), the scent of the forest in the summer and something that was just her. "Fuck!" He groaned as he tried to rip himself of the pants. _I must stop! I need to stop! Think of something else! Please!_ But it was to no vain, his brain didn't listen to his plead as it only conjured up mental pictures of Sakura in different skimpy outfits. _This is going to be a loooong night._

* * *

When the morning came, Kakashi had made his decision, he had to get the HELL out of the village for some time. So when the clock turned eight, he rushed to the Hokage's office to beg her for a mission that would take at least a month or more.

But was life ever that perfect? That you just begged for something and it just happened, like that,,,, no, no it was not. Well not for Kakashi.

"Sorry but no. I told you before Kakashi, you won't be sent out on those missions for some time and IF you continue to bug me about it I will force you to become a teacher at the academy,,, for your whole LIFE!" Tsunade yelled as she continued sign different document that were lying on her table.

Feeling a shudder travel up his spine by just the thoughts on having to babysit kids again, he decided to just exit the room without making a fuss. Just as he was about to make his exit through the window, the door to the Hokage's office opened and a certain senbon user walked into the room.

"Why have you sent me away on a week-long mission? You promised to give me some time off! Oh, hey Hatake!" Genma have him a happy nod before he turned his attention at the busty woman before him once again. "So why did you give me this mission? And who is it I will be working with?"

"I needed someone with experience to help escort that rich scumbag. I know that the man is rich but come on get some manners!" She muttered as she continued to sign documents. "And I haven't really decided yet who will be going with you,,,, that rich snob would probably anger anyone,,,," She then turned her head and looked at Kakashi surprised as if she just noticed that he had been standing there the whole time. "On second thought,,, take Kakashi with you." She gave the silver-haired man an icy smile and suddenly he felt a slight regret for ever strolling into her office that morning. _At least I will be away from the village for one week,,, just enough time for my thoughts to settle!_

"Perfect, the dynamic duo!" Genma gave Kakashi a broad smile as he handed over the mission scroll for Kakashi to read. "We leave in one hour!"

Kakashi just waved off his so-called friend and made his exit through one of the windows.

* * *

"PIG! I did NOT approve of this!" Sakura yelled as she held up five large bottles of sake next to the punchbowl on the table. It was only one day away from her party and Sakura was thankful for the help from her friends. But she had to keep a close eye on her blonde friend that was trying to sneak in extremely strong liquor into her apartment. Sure, Sakura had planned to have some beer at the party but nothing like the stuff Ino had placed on the table.

"But come on forehead, don't you want to have an awesome party?"

"Yeah,,,,, but must everyone be completely wasted to have a nice time?"

Ino looked at Sakura as if she just had grown another head. "I will not answer that question!"

"Sakura where do you want the snacks for tomorrow?" Hinata asked as she walked into the living room with five whole bags full of different snacks.

Ino and Sakura just stared at the woman in front of them with wide eyes. "I just asked you to go and by some snacks for tomorrow. You didn't have to buy so much."

Hinata blushed as she set the bags down around her feet. "I am so sorry, I didn't want to make any mistakes, so I just took two of every kind of snacks the store had."

Sakura smiled at her friend's explanation, it was so like Hinata to go the extra mile. "Don't worry, it was actually a good idea! I mean the snacks that are still left after the party can be used on our girls' nights."

Ino nodded and clapped her hands. "Ohh! I am so excited for the next girls night!"

Both Sakura and Hinata turned their heads towards their blonde friend. "Why are you so excited for that?" Sakura asked as she helped Hinata stack up the different goods into different piles, salty snacks in one, candy in the other and so on.

Ino looked at her friends with a slight glint in her eye. "Well, my dear friends,,,, I am not the one to gossip but-" She was abruptly interrupted by Sakura who almost fell to the floor from laughing to much.

"You,,,, not gossiping?! You are the queen of gossip!" Sakura managed to say as she continued to laugh at her friend.

"Not to be mean or anything, but I agree with Sakura. Ino you gossip all the time." Hinata said in agreement.

Hanging her head down, Ino sighed. "And here I was going to tell two of my best friends about a thing I saw last time we were out." This piqued both the women's interest and they waited with excitement for what they were going to hear. "Well,,, you didn't hear this from me." Ino lowered her voice and leaned closer to her friends. "Sasuke is apparently looking for his soulmate and I heard that he is forcing girls to show theirs. I didn't believe it until our girls' night out but then I saw it in action!"

Hinata and Sakura stood there in silence and just stared at their friend. "Really? Why would he do that?" Sakura asked.

Ino just shrugged her shoulders. "How should I know? When I left the bar to head home I noticed Sasuke pulling up a girl's shirt and when he saw her mark he just sighed and said something like 'you don't match either', such a creep!" Ino said as she thought back at the memory.

"Well,,,,, I think I know why he did that." Hinata mumbled as she folded the grocery bags. Sakura and Ino turned their heads and waited for Hinata to continue. "He came by our house and asked my father if anyone in our clan had a mark that matched his. Apparently, the people in his clan is starting to bug him to get married."

"Why would they do that?" Ino crossed her arms at the very thought of being forced to get married.

"Well, Sasuke is the youngest in his family but he is the oldest ever in his clan to not have found his soulmate yet. I think the branch families are starting to complain." Hinata knew all to well about the troubles with her own clan.

"Damn, I am so happy that I don't belong to any clans." Sakura said as she sat down on her sofa. The other two followed her example and sat themselves down next to Sakura. They all deserved to rest after the extreme day they had gone through, moving furniture, prepare drinks for tomorrow, placing out mugs and plates, decorating and much more.

"But if you marry Kakashi you will." Ino said with a slight sneer on her face. Sakura blushed at her friend's comment and threw a pillow at her.

"Pig, I don't want to hear you say anything like that! What if he heard?" She said in horror. Just the idea of Kakashi hearing her deepest darkest wish was beyond what she wanted to imagine.

"Both you and I know that you secretly want that, AND he is not even in town right now." Ino snagged a bag of snacks and smiled as the scent of barbecue flavoured chips reached her nose. "Mmmm, my favourites!"

As Ino grabbed a hand of chips she started to nibble at, Sakura sat in her seat with a hanging head. She got the information about Kakashi's mission from Tsunade when she came to the office the day after she had been out on a girl's night out. It still hurt as hell, just the thought about not seeing him for a whole week was painful. She really wanted him to be there, at her birthday. But still, she knew that Genma had needed him and she felt calm of knowing that it was just a simple escort mission. He would be back in no time. _I just miss him so much._ "Pig stop hogging the whole bag!" Sakura yelled as Ino grabbed another hand of chips.

This led to a war between the two kunoichi and when the battle was over Hinata forced them both into cleaning up all the chips that had been spread onto the floor.

"Dictator." Sakura mumbled as she got the task to crawl under the sofa for the chips that had miraculous found their way there.

"Who is a dictator?" A voice said from the living room entrance. It was Tenten, she had been in charge of getting birthday presents for Sakura and had been out the whole day to finish the list of the items.

"Where have you been?!" Sakura yelled as she backed out from under the sofa.

Tenten looked at the other girls in the room for support. "I-." She began to say but got interrupted by Ino.

"She was just looking for Neji, you knoooow how much she loooove him." Ino batted her eyelashes at her pink-haired friend how looked back at Tenten. If looks could kills Ino would have already dropped dead on her wooden floor.

"Re-really? You like Neji nii-san Tenten?" Hinata asked from her spot on the sofa. "So romantic!"

Tenten shot another death glare at Ino. "Well,,,,,, I just started to like him but I had already decided to keep it a secret but then Ino-." Tenten turned to the blonde woman that was just crawling under the dining table."-heard me say that I like him. I didn't know that she was so close to me when I tried to explain my feelings to my reflection."

Her confession made both Hinata and Sakura sequel in happiness. "OHHH! SERIOUSLY? That is AWSOME!" Sakura screamed as she jumped up and down in excitement.

With blushing cheeks Tenten looked at her friends with a slight uncertainty in her eyes. "Re-really?"

"Yes!" Sakura said. "Don't you agree Hinata?"

All three girls turned around and looked at the young heiress. "You all know that I love Neji nii-san and want him to be happy." She took a deep breath and looked at Tenten who was about to burst with anxiety. "I really think that you will be a perfect match for him!" Hinata beamed as she hugged her friend.

"Thank you Hinata, that means a lot to me. But remember its not like I love him or anything,,,,,,, I just like him,,,,, that's all." Tenten muttered to her friends who all noticed the blush that tainted her cheeks.

"Riiiight." Ino said but decided to drop it as she looked over at the bag of chips. "I think we all deserve to rest and what is a better way to do that than to eat a few chips and watch a movie while we talk about guys!"

They all knew that there was no way to deny Ino the wish to gossip about guys, so the girls sat themselves down on the sofa and cushions while Ino chose the movie, _Fifty shades of green._ As the movie went on the girls giggled of the stupid guys they knew and teased each other for falling for said stupid guys. "I can't believe how you would fall in love with Naruto! I mean he is just so annoying!" Sakura said as she nibbled on a snack.

Hinata blushed as she thought back on the time where Naruto had defended her from some bullies when she was younger. "I think he is nice, brave and loyal and-and handsome." The last word made Hinata's cheeks turn red as a tomato.

Sakura laughed as she thought of how Naruto must look in Hinata's eyes. _I wonder if she really has that great of an eyesight._ "Well, I am happy for you Hinata. You are correct about Naruto being loyal, brave and nice." _Thank kami that he didn't hear me say that, he would never let it go, ever._

"Forehead, I don't think that you can comment on our guys,,,,, I mean Kakashi? Sure he must have a killer body and he is an older man that means he must have a lot of experience. But he is always late, he never pays for anything, he reads porn in the open and never tells anyone any information about himself, ever." Ino counted on her fingers and it seemed as if she tried to think of another reason for her to not like Kakashi.

Feeling a bit angry about the things Ino had said about the guy she like, Sakura took a hold of the bag of chips and held it away from her friend. "And because you said stuff like that, you won't get any more snacks!"

"Ahh! Come one forehead!" Ino smiled as she noticed the hint of mischief in Sakura's eyes. Before she could react, Sakura dropped the back of snack into the lap of Hinata and then she launched herself at Ino and tickled her sides until Ino was breathless of laughter. "Save me!" She begged her other two girls who both sat at the side line enjoying the show.

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes after her short nap, she knew that it was her birthday and it was finally time for her party. Still, she felt a bit less excited about the whole thing. Kakashi wouldn't come home for another day or so. Just the thought about him made Sakura's heart ache. The thoughts about his whereabouts and if he was hurt had plagued her mind the whole night and made it almost impossible to fall asleep. That was the reason for her to take a short nap as she came home from the visit at her parents' house and the Hokage's office. Tsunade had bought her a bottle of sake and a medic book that specialized in healing children at a very young age. At her parent's house, Sakura had been forced to eat a cake her mother had done for her, it was very tasty but a bit too big, so after she had finished the whole thing she felt the need to puke. Luckily, she had manged to keep the cake down, but she was certain that if anyone even mentioned the word cake around her, she would barf right in that person's face.

Other than the cake, her mother had knitted a cute sweater in a green colour that matched her eyes and her father had given her a pair of red and white polka dot shoes that she had told him weeks before that she wanted. So, all in all, it had been a great day.

As the clock ticked on she thought back at her soulmate. It was just three minutes away from the time she was born, that day eighteen years ago. Soon her soulmate would be locked to her for his entire life. _I wonder what his reaction will be like. Oh shit, what if he is already married and then he gets locked to me! Shit I really hope that won't be the case!_ Sakura slumped down and looked up her ceiling. _What if it is Kakashi? I wonder how he would react, maybe he would be terrified. Or disgusted._ Sakura turned her head towards the clock on her wall, the seconds had gone by and it was only ten seconds left before her soulmate would be locked to her for his whole life.

"Ten,,,, nine,,, eight,,,,seven-" Sakura counted down and waited for some sort of change in her as well. ",,six,,, five,,, four,,, three,,, two,,, one." Sakura held her breath and waited for any kind of reaction or feeling, but in vain. She didn't feel any different and she slumped down in her seat thinking about how her soulmate must feel in that exact moment.

* * *

Genma walked next to Kakashi as they were on their way home from their escort mission. It had gone extremely well, even if they did get attacked by some stupid robbers, but those poor guys didn't know what hit them. Well Kakashi and Genma had been extremely grateful for catching those guys as they had a slight bit of bounty on them.

"So Kakashi, what are you getting pinky?" Genma asked as they walked down the streets of a rather big village. He knew as well as his silver haired friend that Sakura's birthday was today, and they would both miss it.

"Maa, I don't know." Kakashi muttered as he started to read his trusted orange book.

"You don't know?" Genma asked and stared at his friend in disbelief. "You had a whole fucking week to think of something and you couldn't come up with anything?!"

"We had a mission." Was his answer as he causally strolled down the street.

Genma just looked at his friend in disbelief. "Are you saying that you, Hatake Kakashi, have been focusing so much on our simple escort mission that you haven't been able to think about a present to give to your soulmate?"

Kakashi glanced sideway at his friend who looked a bit to smug. "I don't know what you are hinting at Genma but I would prefer if you stop." As he was about to hurry of and create a little space between him and his so-called friend, Kakashi noticed something sparkling in a window. He slowed his pace which made Genma bump right into him.

"Hey, a little waring next time! I could have swallowed my senbon!"

"Not my problem." Kakashi answer his friend before he walked into the small store he had just been eyeing. Because there in the display laid a beautiful necklace, it was in pure gold with a pink diamond shaped like a cherry blossom petal. It was so perfect, so fucking perfect that Kakashi didn't even mind the totally over the top price for it. He had just gotten a pretty big sum of money for catching those robbers and he could just see how wonderful Sakura would look in that around her neck. _So beautiful and sexy- no do NOT go there again! I will not think of my soulmate as sexy!_

The old lady that owned the shop helped him pick out a perfect box to put the gift in (it was just to perfect to leave behind) and as she did this she asked questions about who is was for. Being who he was Kakashi had decided that he wouldn't tell her anything but as Genma was the second best at gossip in Konoha, he told her about it being a gift for Kakashi's soulmate.

"Oh dear! For your soulmate." The old woman clapped her hands together in happiness and looked Kakashi over. "Well I can tell that you really love this girl." Thankful that the mask hid his blush, Kakashi tried to pay the necklace so he would be able to leave but the woman just shook her head. "No, you will get a 15 percent discount."

Blinking in a slight surprise, Kakashi handed her a smaller sum of money than before. "Thank you." He said and took the box from the woman who smiled at him.

"Promise me to visit my store the next time you are in town." She said and gave his hand an affectionate pat. "And don't hesitate to bring your soulmate next time."

Kakashi just gave her a small wave as he stepped out of the store and then he turned his head to Genma. "You just had to tell her, didn't you?" He asked in a bored tone.

"Well, come on. It is fun to be able to embarrass you sometimes." Genma joked as they continued their journey home.

* * *

One thing that Kakashi noticed the minute that they left town was Genma's odd behaviour. He looked at the sun, to Kakashi and back to the sun again. He repeated those actions fifteen times before Kakashi felt the need to punch him. But instead he decided to ask his friend what was wrong. "What?"

"What?" Genma asked and once again he stared at the sun.

"What do you want and why are you looking at the sun?"

"Can't a man enjoy a little sunlight?"

"Not the way you are enjoying it and stop looking at me, you are not my type." Kakashi felt a shiver go through his body at the very thought of Genma hitting on him. _URGH! I want to throw up!_

"Well I am just trying to decide how much the clock is and please, don't flatter yourself." Genma added and looked as disgusted as Kakashi felt.

After casting an eye at the sun Kakashi told his so-called friend that the clock would soon be around 10:30. This seemed to catch Genma's attention as he now stared at his silver haired friend with an intensity that was almost freaky. "If you don't stop looking at me I will –" Kakashi dropped his book and turned to look at Genma.

His whole body suddenly felt weird, his heart started beating really fast and he could hear its every beat. The air suddenly felt impossible to breath into his lungs and he felt like he would pass out in any second. He turned to look at a smug looking Genma and Kakashi decided that if Genma had poisoned him, he would come back and fucking haunt him to death! Feeling like he would die by lack of oxygen, Kakashi stumbled onto the ground. "Kakashi, I know you will not believe me but just relax it will soon be over."

 _Soon be over?! Fucking shit, he must have spiked my food or something, I will kill him if I survive this!_ Kakashi didn't know how long he laid there on the ground gasping for air but after a few minutes he began to breath regularly again. His pulse slowed down to its regular pace and his muscles started to relax once again. _What the fuck just happened?!_ Kakashi looked up from the ground at Genma who was standing beside him with a wide grin.

"So, are you feeling better now?" It was clear as day that this had amused him and Kakashi feeling the need to bring down his friend, used his leg to trip Genma. The senbon user hit the ground rather clumsy and glared at his friend. "Was that really necessary?"

"I, just, thought, you, needed, to be pulled down to earth." Kakashi said smugly as he finally was able to sit up. Carefully to not hurt himself he reached for his book and dusted the cover from the dirt that had gotten stuck on it.

"Ha ha ha, very funny Hatake." Genma stood up and dusted of his clothes before he helped Kakashi up from the ground.

"So, what did you do to me and why?" He asked as he placed the Icha Icha book back into its safe pouch.

Genma started to laugh at his friend's comment and didn't stop until he got hit in the head by Kakashi's hand. "Sorry, it's just so funny that you think that I caused it!" Genma stared to laugh again. "I mean, if you knew what just happened! Damn I am so happy that I didn't miss it!" He continued to say as he laughed.

"WHAT?" Kakashi asked enraged.

"You are now and forever more a-." Genma paused for a more dramatical effect."- puremate! Congrats man!"

For the absolutely first time in Kakashi's whole life, he blacked out from pure shock.

* * *

The party was going on and it was clear that everyone there were having an awesome time. Ino smiled as Sakura opened hers, Hinata's and Tenten's gift to Sakura, or to be exact gifts. In the huge box laid a couple of condoms, some medical supply they knew Sakura had wanted, a hair accessory that was in the same colour as her eyes, a lacy red and black bra with a matching thong and a racy red negligée that was made of thin lace that was completely see-through in some places. "Oh, dear kami! Thank you so much!" Sakura yelled as she jumped up from her seat and hugged all the three girls.

"Are you sure you like it?" Tenten asked as she blushed a bit from remember buying all that in different stores. The memories of her buying the bra and thong came to mind and how the salesclerk recommended her to get a bigger seize.

"I love it! But couldn't you have given me these things BEFORE everyone arrived?" Sakura asked in hushed tone as Naruto almost fainted at the sight of the thong.

"Oh come on! We had to have some backup plan if the party blew." Ino said as she looked at Lee who had finally stopped his nosebleed.

"And you thought that me showing racy clothing would be a great way to fix that?" Sakura felt a slight blush spread over her cheeks. _What if Kakashi was here? But maybe that would have been a good thing,,, he would certainly see me as more than a small little girl._ "But still thanks a lot!"

The girls hugged a second time and after the hug, Hinata helped Sakura stash away her presents in her bedroom. Naruto had given her a coupon on a free meal of ramen, Lee gave her orange legwarmers (which she would NEVER wear), Sasuke had given her a cd, there were a lot more gifts from the others but those three really stood out.

As both Hinata and Sakura walked out of her bedroom they heard the music had been turned up and when they arrived in her living room, Sakura saw Ino standing on top of her table dancing and swaying her hips to the music. _I know that she would try to stand out to get Shikamaru's attention but that is surely to much!_ Thinking if she was going to stop her friend from ruining her table or not, Sakura didn't notice Sasuke creeping up next to her.

"Are you having fun?" He asked and for a moment Sakura was so stunned by his question that she couldn't get a word out.

"Ye-yeah, of course." She said and turned her sight back towards Ino who was now being dragged down from the table by Tenten. It looked like the blonde had managed to make Tenten spill her drink all over her green Chinese dress.

"You didn't look so happy just a minute ago." Sasuke commented as he stepped closer to Sakura.

Trying to increase their distance from each other, Sakura leaned away from him. "Well, I am now." She muttered surly.

"Why was you unhappy before?"

Feeling her temper slipping from her fingers, Sakura clenched her fists and turned towards Sasuke. "I don't know why you want to know and I would recommend that you stop asking me stupid questions!" Her harsh tone made Sasuke step back. He stared at her in shock and she was almost as shocked as he was, but she made sure to not show it. This was the first time she had ever spoken so harsh towards Sasuke.

"I don't think that is wise to say to your future husband." He said it so causally that Sakura almost didn't understand the message he was conveying. But when she did, her eyes were burning of anger.

"YOUR FUTER WIFE?!" Sakura yelled at him. All the others in the room stopped what they had been doing and someone even turned down the music to hear the fight better.

"Well, you are the only one that is left in this village that can be my soulmate. So it has to be you." Sasuke told her in a bored tone.

"You are insane!" Sakura muttered as she turned to walk away but got caught by Sasuke's hand around her arm. With a slight use of chakra she would be able to push him away but she didn't want to risk damaging her apartment, she had already been warned by her landlord. "Let go of me Sasuke!"

"Sakura, come on. We all know you like me." Sasuke said smugly and tried to pull her closer. Sakura just stared at him like he had grown a second head.

"Like you? Yeah, like a family member. I don't like you in any other way!" Sakura said and with the slight hesitation Sasuke showed she managed to drag her arm free from his grip.

"Sasuke, maybe you should-." Naruto said but go interrupted by Sasuke.

"Naruto don't butt in!" Sasuke said as he continued to glare at Sakura who was doing just as good job glaring back at him.

"Naruto can say whatever he wants, and I think you should leave now!" Sakura said and pointed towards the door.

Sasuke looked at her in shock and then glared at the crowd around them. Everyone in the room waited in silence to see what Sasuke's next move was going to be. "Come on Sakura, this is embarrassing. Just show me your mark so that we can stop this and get together."

"Sasuke understand when I tell you this I can't be your soulmate!" Sakura yelled at him.

This was apparently as much as Sasuke could handle as he clenched his fists in pure rage. "Then show me your fucking mark and if our marks don't match then I will leave you alone. But we must match and WHEN we see that our mark match, you will have a lot of apologising to do." He said with a sneer.

"Sasuke stop being a stuck-up bitch! Sakura's mark is round, with cherry blossom petals in it and small markings in the middle. I really don't think that your mark looks like that." Ino said annoyed. She hated that the lousy stupid head had destroyed the awesome atmosphere.

"I don't believe it if I don't see it!" Sasuke muttered.

"Believe it!" Naruto sighed as he grabbed a hold of Sasuke's arm and started to lead him out. "I think you had a lot to drink and just need to cool your head."

Sakura didn't believe that was the case but was happy to see that Sasuke followed Naruto out of the apartment. As the door closed everyone started to talk among each other.

"Damn he really is obsessed of finding his soulmate." Tenten said as she looked at the closed door.

"Sakura, how are you feeling?" Hinata asked as she handed the pink haired woman a drink.

Sakura swallowed the whole drink at once and then handed the empty glass back to Hinata. "Thanks Hinata, I am just fine."

"That bastard he ruined everything!" Ino said and walked over to Sakura. "Forehead, he ruined my shot with Shikamaru!" She whispered and shot a glance over to the lazy man who was just pouring up another drink for himself.

"Sorry pig." Sakura patted her friend on the back and then looked towards the door once more. "Maybe I should go and see if Naruto is alright."

"What? You know as well as I do that he is fine." Ino muttered before she once again made her way towards her prey.

Sakura looked at her friends once more before she headed out the door and into the street. The first thing she noticed was Sasuke sitting on the ground with Naruto standing next to him patting his back. Sakura gave Naruto a look that asked him what was going on and he answered her with a slight shrug.

"Sakura, I am sorry that I ruined your party." Sasuke mumbled from his place at the ground. Both Naruto and Sakura looked surprised at each other, they had never heard the stoic man next to them apologise ever! "I am just so worried, I haven't found my soulmate yet and the whole clan is talking about it behind my back, talking about how weak I am and much more."

Sakura looked at her teammates and she was a bit shocked to hear so many words coming out of Sasuke's mouth. "Well I understand that you are stressed Sasuke, we all are in different ways. But I am not your soulmate and if you don't believe me-." Sakura paused and pulled up her blouse so that her back was showing. "-I will show you."

Sasuke sat there staring at the mark on Sakura's back and felt his heart sink. "I really thought you would be the one." He said.

After she let her blouse fall into place, Sakura helped him up from the ground and gave Sasuke a hug. "I know you did. But don't worry, you will find her, some day."


	5. Chapter 5- Puremate and restaurant

Hi everyone, I hope you had an awesome new year celebration. I really hope you will like this chapter and please if you have the time,, please leave a comment X3

Urgh Kakashi is to sexy, I was watching a Naruto episode last night and when Kakashi came up I paused it just to look at his face X3 my husband was NOT amused XD

Thank you so much for liking, following and reviewing the story! You are the best ever!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto,,,,, sadly,,,, if I did then I would have made a episode of their wedding right now…. A quick divorce from the asshole and then tadaaaa Mrs Hatake. X3 Mjaou!

* * *

Chapter 5. Puremate and restaurant

Kakashi didn't want to go home, he really just wanted to keep going for a year or maybe forever, goooing and gooooing forever. But there was no way to do that, he missed his village to much and if his heart had any say in it, he also missed a certain pink haired woman. It wasn't like any other feeling in the world, the complete emptiness that had slowly filled his core was unusual for him to be feeling.

"So Kakashi are you going to tell pinky when you get back?" Genma asked as they strolled down the narrow road that would lead them home.

Kakashi sighed as he tried to ignore his friend. But as Genma continued to ask him stupid questions he lost a bit of his temper. "Why should I do that?!" He growled after a while and his tone alone made Genma flinch.

"Wow you don't have to be so angry. I was just asking." He muttered as he twirled around his senbon.

"Asking,,, more like nagging."

Genma smiled as he heard his friend. "Well someone must do the talking here. You are as talkative as an old cheese." With a look at the sun Genma glanced at his silver haired friend with an irritated look. "Why in kami's name do you walk so extremely slow? Do you not wish to see Konoha soon?"

Kakashi tried to look like he hadn't heard his friend, but the question had somehow made it into his heart. Why was is so bad to go home? To see Sakura again? His heart fluttered at the thought about his ex-student. _That's why,_ he thought as he tried to calm his beating heart. "I just thought that we could take a pleasant stroll instead of running like we often do."

Genma stared at his friend for some time before a slight smirk spread over his lips. "Or maybe you are scared,,, that you want to see our little cherry blossom a bit too much…" Genma laughed when he noticed the slight twitch in the corner of Kakashi's visible eye. "I knew it!" He yelled and jumped up in the air. "So saint Hatake wants a piece of his student."

"Ex-student!" Kakashi muttered as he tried his best to block out the rest of Genma's speech.

"Whatever. But don't feel to bad, I mean of course you would want to taste her. She is young, beautiful, talented, smart and,,." Genma stopped talking right after a small rock collided with his head. He turned angrily towards the man who was busy reading his orange book. "Very mature Hatake." He mumbled as he rubbed the spot that started to hurt.

Silence fell around them once again as they strolled down the path leading them home. It really was the perfect day to take a stroll, the sun was shining just right and managed to warm the air to a perfect temperature. The sky was blue with out a single cloud that could be seen, and the breeze was pleasant. Kakashi took a deep breath and filled his nose with all the different scents of the forest they were walking in. _Maybe I can stay outside of the gates for some time, not reporting back to the Hokage and instead stay out in the woods for a while with Pakkun and the others._ "Hey Kakashi are you even listening to me?"

"Hmm?" Kakashi looked over the edge of his book at Genma who had apparently tried for a while to get his attention.

Genma shook his head with a smile plastered on his face. "I can't believe you. You hear a slightest twig break a few miles away but when your friend wants to ask you something,,, no then you are deaf. Unbelievable!" Genma sighed.

"Mmm." Was the only answer Genma got as they kept going forward.

"I am just going to tell you once, okay?" He waited until he saw Kakashi's slight nod from behind his book. "Okay here it goes, and I am **only** doing this so that you won't go missing nin on us. Yeah don't look so surprised, I know you all too well. So keep in mind that I would never tell you this if I didn't think that it would help your situation." He paused and took in a deep breath of air. "Here it goes,,,,, I have found my soulmate."

This wasn't what Kakashi had expected and he carefully placed his book into its pouch. "What? Who?"

"Well just before you and I headed out of the town. After you left the pub with Sakura that evening, and by the way I still can't believe that you didn't just fuck her then." Genma noticed Kakashi's glare intensify and he held up his hands in defence. "Sorry, sorry, never mind. Well after you left, we had a good time all of us and I ended up going home with a sexy woman. She was out for a piece of me, if you know what I mean." He laughed at his own joke and then continued his story. "Well one thing led to another and we ended up sleeping together and I will just tell you this, it was SO HOT! Damn she knew her way around the bed. Sorry I got of topic. Well not entirely,, okay, okay stop looking like you are going to kill me! Well after we were done and both pretty tired we fell asleep and the morning after, I woke up with the picture of my soulmark on the bottom of her left breast right in front of me. I hadn't seen it the night before and damn I was so scared that I almost shit myself. Thank kami that I had covered mine up!" Genma looked relieved as he finished his story. "That's that."

"Who was it?" Kakashi asked.

"Promise to never ever tell her ever!"

"You have my word." Kakashi said and gave him a thumb up.

"Your word don't mean shit! Swear on your Icha Icha collection."

With raised eyebrows Kakashi looked at Genma who was looking a bit smug. "Okay I,, swear." He said with a slight bit of force to the last word.

"Great! So now you will know who the lucky woman that is paired up with me is." _Lucky,,,, really,,, I don't think everyone would agree on that Genma,,,._ "Don't look like that Kakashi. Well the lucky woman is no other than Shizune."

If Kakashi had been drinking, he would have sprayed out the water all over Genma. It was almost sad that he didn't had been drinking. "Oh. How do you think the Hokage will react about hearing that?"

"Oh, I would think better than when she hears about you being Sakura's soulmate." Genma added with a smug smile.

The grin Kakashi had sported before died down as quickly as it had appeared. "Just shut up and keep going."

"Yeah, alright." Genma twirled his senbon and once again they where walking in silence.

* * *

"I wonder when Kakashi will return." Sakura said as she and Ino shared a big bowl of ice cream. It was such a warm spring day that it was perfect to just sit outside at a café enjoying the calm weather that had graced Konoha.

"It should be soon I think." Ino mumbled as she scooped another spoon full of chocolate ice cream into her mouth. "I just know it."

"Yeah, I hope you are right." Sakura mumbled as she placed her spoon down on the glass surface of the café table they were seated at. "I just miss him, it's like my heart is crying whenever he is out of the village."

"Maybe that just means that he really is your soulmate." Ino winked at her as she put a cherry in her mouth.

It was obvious that she was used to eat cherries in a, let's just say, special way. "Ino do you really have to eat it like **that**?" Ino looked at her friend with a raised eyebrow. "Please don't even pretend that you don't understand what I mean, pig."

"Well, maybe I do know what you are talking about." Ino grinned at her friend and scooped up another spoon filled with delicious ice cream. "Oh my kami! I just thought about something GREAT! What if you learn how to eat seductively?!" Ino's blue eyes shone like diamonds as she stretched over the table. "That is perfect!"

"What, you want to teach me to eat?" Sakura asked as she ate a spoon full of ice cream.

Ino started to laugh as she leaned back in her seat. "No forehead, I will teach you how to eat seductively."

"Oh and do you really think that it will work? Do you not remember the time at the pub?!" Sakura looked around to see if someone was listening to them, but luckily it seemed as if everyone was minding their own business.

"Come on forehead, live a little. It was just one time! One!" Ino held up a finger to her friend. "You have barely touched your sexuality!"

"PIG!"

"FOREHEAD!"

Both looked at each other for a while before they both started to laugh. They laughed so hard that people around them turned their heads to look at the maniacs. It felt nice to laugh and Sakura soon felt the aching pain in her heart subdue. _I wonder what Kakashi is doing now. Maybe he is on his way. And soon he will be at the gate, looking as handsome as always, walking passed the guards and smiling his perfect smile that he saves for when he is inside the village. Then he will walk up to me, smiling and ask me how I am feeling and then he will hug me close and tell me that he missed me so much on his mission. Then I will hug him back and tell him I missed him too. Then I will lower his mask and kiss him in front of everyone there and,,,,_ "World to Sakura? Hello, Sakura, are you there?" Ino waved her hand in front of Sakura's face and smiled as she noticed that her pink-haired friend was starting to come back down to earth.

"What? Sorry Ino, I must have spaced out for a little while." Sakura blushed and looked down at the glass bowl at their table. It was somehow empty and as Sakura raised her eyes from the bowl she noticed Ino stretching in her spot, looking rather pleased with herself.

"That really hit the spot!" Ino rubbed her belly and smiled. Sakura just laughed as she looked at her friend drying of some chocolate that had been smeared on her cheek.

"Glad you liked it." Sakura and Ino turned their heads towards the voice. It was the young waiter that had flirted shamelessly with Ino when they ordered their sundae. _Why am I not surprised?_ Sakura looked at the boy trying to do his best to impress Ino with his glistening smile. If Sakura was honest, he looked kind of good, with long dark hair and blue piercing eyes. But he couldn't compare to Kakashi. Sakura sighed as she leaned back on her seat and tried to zone out the embarrassing speech the young man had prepare to get Ino interested in him. _Wow, I hope I don't sound like that when I flirt._

After almost twenty minutes of listening to the young man, Sakura had it and after she said goodbye to Ino, she headed towards the gate. She had been doing that for some time the latest week. Going by the gate, just to see if maybe she would meet Kakashi. But she hadn't been lucky so far and she doubted that she would ever be so lucky. As she walked the calm streets of Konoha, Sakura took her time to really enjoy the views of the houses and the stores, hear the children laugh and the grownups talking among themselves. Yeah, she really loved her home town. It was just perfect, and it was also thanks to her being born in this town that she got to meet Kakashi. Sakura sighed as she walked pass a café, she saw Hinata and Neji eating at a small table while Naruto talked to Hinata with wild gestures. _He probably talks about ramen again, poor Hinata. But she doesn't look like she minds it so much._ Sakura smiled and continued her walk. She hoped and wished for her shy friend to someday get the courage to confess her feelings to Naruto. Even if she knew all to well that her blonde friend was an idiot, he was a kind idiot that would be perfect for Hinata.

"Sakura senpai!"

Sakura turned around just in time to see the new staff member at the hospital come running towards her. "Riku, slow down!" Sakura yelled and felt relieved to see the man in question slowing down for a walk. Riku was one of the newest members of the medical team that Sakura had command over. He was talented but a bit reckless sometimes and he was sadly having a crush on her.

"Sorry senpai, I just wanted to hurry the fastest I could to tell you the news." Riku said and was still panting from the running.

"Oh." Sakura looked at the man and waited for him to continue.

He looked at her with warm brown eyes and suddenly his cheeks started to change colour to a slight blushing tone. "Well, senpai, I just wanted to let you know that,, I have been assigned to another team."

Sakura blinked a few times in order to really understand what he had told her. How he looked it seemed like he had asked her to marry him and not told her he had been assigned to a different team. "Oh. Well I am happy for you." _Finally, I will finally get away from him! I must remember to send a thank you card to Tsunade._

"Thanks senpai." He paused and suddenly his pink cheeks turned red. "Well, now that you aren't my,, well what I was going to,," He stammered and Sakura felt sweat form on her forehead for the fear of where his conversation was leading.

"Sakura!" It was said in a normal conversation tone from the man standing ten meters away but to Sakura it was like he had been standing right next to her. _Kakashi._ Slowly as if she was afraid that he somehow would disappear if she moved to fast, she turned her head and saw him standing there, at the gate. His clothes were dirty, his hair shone in the sunlight, his right arm raised in a slight wave and it appeared that he had somehow managed to get a slight cut right above his eyebrow.

"Ka-Kakashi!" Sakura said and felt tears form in her eyes as she hurried towards him. Just as she was a few steps away from him she understood what she almost was about to do. So, as she came near him she slowed down her steps and tried her best to look like she would have looked if she saw Naruto come through the gates. "Hi Kakashi, how are you,,,, did the mission go as planned?" Sakura strained herself to max so that she didn't do anything she would regret later. Looking up into his visible eye she noticed a certain warmth that hadn't been there before. It made her toes curl as he looked down at her.

"I missed you to Sakura." Kakashi then did something that surprised her so much that she almost was certain that someone must have put her in a genjutsu. Hatake Kakashi raised his arms and wrapped them around Sakura in a tight embrace. At first, she was so shocked that she couldn't even move a muscle but after a second of gathering her thoughts, Sakura responded into the embrace and buried her face in his shirt.

He felt wonderful pressed against her and she prayed that if it was a dream it would continue forever. "I missed you." Sakura manged to whisper while her lips was pressed against his shirt.

But the hug had to end. Sakura felt reluctant as they parted, but luckily for her she had become better to mask her emotions, IF she wasn't extremely surprised. When Kakashi looked down at her face once again he saw the same expression he used to see whenever she met someone she knew at the gate. "So have something fun happened while I was away?" He asked nonchalant and looked over her shoulder at the young male standing there looking a bit too shocked to know what he should do. "I think I disturbed your little boyfriend over there."

"Boy-?! I do not have a boyfriend!" Sakura felt pain enter her heart after the comment from Kakashi but it dissapeared when she noticed his teasing smile.

"I was only kidding." Sakura sighed and turned around to see Riku walking away with a bent down head. _Thanks Kami he left!_ "So now that your ehm, friend finally left. Did something interesting happened while I was away?"

"As if you didn't know that you missed my birthday." Sakura smiled as he looked sheepishly down at her while rubbing his neck.

"Yeah, I am sorry about that."

"Don't sweat it. I had a blast. A lot of people came, Ino drunken danced on the table, Sasuke tried to force me to show him my soulmark and I got a lot of funny gifts that made Naruto and Lee get nose bleeds."

"He did WHAT?!" Kakashi said in a scary tone which caused Sakura to turn around to face him. _Why is he so angry?_ _ **Maybe he is jealous!**_ A voice in Sakura's head whispered as she saw the startled look in his eye. _Yeah like that is ever going to happened._

"Well he made a fool of himself, I mean in the middle of the party he just stood there claiming that I was his soulmate and stuff like that." Sakura pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. Only the thoughts of the occurrence made her mood sink.

Sakura and Kakashi POV

Kakashi had heard every word Sakura had told him and in his heart, he felt his blood boil. _Why am I feeling so angry just because Sasuke said such stupid things? I shouldn't even care… But I do._ Slowly just so that Sakura wouldn't notice, he touched his chest where he could feel his beating heart. "Well I certainly hope that you told him to stop presuming things that isn't true." His eyes widened when he heard what he had said. "I mean if it isn't true,, how should I know. I better get going now." Sakura stared at him with wide eyes and with that Kakashi was just about to do the signs for him to disappear. But as he was moments away from preforming the last sign he was stopped by a blonde blur who smashed into him with full force.

"KAKA-SENSEI!" Was what he heard before he slammed into the ground with the blonde. The dust on the ground flew up and created a huge cloud. "We missed you a lot, did you bring something for Sakura-chan's birthday?"

Sakura looked on as the dust sank to the ground and she couldn't help the giggles that erupted from her mouth as she noticed the pile of legs and arms, trying to come loose. "Maa, Naruto. Did you have to smash into me?"

"Well." Naruto paused as he sat up on Kakashi's lap. "I saw that you were about to disappear, so I just thought that it was better to just smash into you then to call out for you to stop."

"Naruto, you idiot!" Sakura yelled as she dragged him off from Kakashi who was still sitting on the ground. _I am soooo jealous! I wish I was the one that smashed into Kakashi and ended up in his lap. Oh, no time to drool._ "Why can't you welcome people like a regular human?"

"But Sakura-chan." Naruto whined she dropped the hold she had on the back of his shirt. "Come on you missed Kakashi-sensei just as much as I did."

"I think she missed him a bit more than you did, Naruto." A woman said behind their backs. Sakura turned her head and saw Ino walking down the street with a huge smile on her face. "I would think that Forehead missed him more than anyone in,,," Sakura didn't wait for her friend to finish her sentence. With hurried moves she was soon right next to Ino and she didn't wait a second to hit her friend in the head.

"Shut up!" Sakura's tone left no space to an argument and Ino snapped her mouth shut.

Beside the both women Kakashi and Naruto had gotten to their feet. "So, I think that maybe it is time for me to…"

"No you don't get to just disappear Kakashi-san." Ino grabbed his shirt in her outstretched hand and he lowered his head in defeat. "Because you weren't here when Sakura had her birthday you **must** come to the dinner we have planned for her, it is tonight." Ino grabbed Naruto by his shoulders and dragged him in front of Sakura who looked a bit surprised.

"Re-really? You are inviting me to a dinner tonight? When was this planned and why haven't I heard anything about this?" Sakura pierced her friends with a calculating look.

Naruto looked at perplexed as Sakura felt, and he tried to open his mouth to say something but was stopped by Ino's hands that held a steel grip on Naruto's jaw. "We decided to throw a little surprise dinner at that fancy Chinese restaurant tonight for you and your friends. You haven't heard anything about it because we came up with it just last night. Right Naruto?" Ino asked the blond who looked like he was in slight terror that he would mess whatever Ino was planning up.

"Yes, that is correct. We had a meeting last night. Right. At Sai's place, he is really a neat freak. He painted an entire picture of what the dinner should be like and he put a cat into the,," Ino placed a hand on Naruto's mouth to get him to stop talking and then she turned around to face Kakashi with a sugar sweet smile.

"So, Kakashi are you going to be coming tonight? I mean that is the least you can do as you missed Sakura's party." A smugness was seen in the corner of Ino's eyes as she tried the guilt trip Kakashi into coming to the party.

Kakashi looked from Ino to Sakura who was trying her hardest to look unaffected but apparently she didn't do a very good job at it as Kakashi seemed defeated when he looked at her. "Sure, I will come. What time should I be there?"

Ino beamed at the victory of getting Kakashi to agreeing to come to the dinner and she smiled sweetly. "Oh at four o'clock."

"Odd time for a dinner." Kakashi said but shrugged of the thought and after he bid everyone farewell he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

When the last cloud of smoke had evaporated, Sakura turned her head and looked at her friend who was apparently plotting something good from the look on her face. "Now that he is gone can you please tell me what you are plotting."

"Yeah, tell me to because I don't remember anything like that and if we are going to eat together later tonight can't it be ramen?" Naruto whined and tried his best puppy eyes that only made him look even more stupid.

Ino sighed and shook her head slowly. "Naruto, poor, stupid, Naruto. How are you not getting it? We aren't going to be with them later tonight. They are going alone."

With a crunched-up face Naruto looked at Ino as if she was stupid. "Why? I mean Sakura-chan doesn't want to be alone with Kakashi-sensei at a fancy restaurant so why are you trying to force her to?"

"Idiot!" Ino punched Naruto in the head which gave him a slight bump that could be seen from were Sakura stood. "How are you not getting it?! Sakura is in love with Kakashi."

"EEEEEHHHHHH!" Naruto yelled and looked from a blushing Sakura to a smug looking Ino. "WWWWHHHHAAAAAATTT?!"

"Shut up!" Sakura yelled as she punched Naruto in the face. "Stop yelling, everyone will hear you!"

"Bu-but, you a-a-a-and h-hi-him-him?! You do know that he is old, right?" Naruto grabbed her shoulders as he looked in to her green emerald eyes. "Are you being black mailed into loving him? Oh, my, Kami, did he do something to you?!" His whiskered face turned red from anger and Sakura knew that she had to stop him.

"Naruto listen up! I didn't get blackmailed or anything, I just love him. The way he is, all his faults and his weaknesses. Everything!" Sakura said with such determent in her eyes that it made Naruto waver in his anger. He gulped as he looked away from her pure green eyes.

"Well, then I supposed that I will support you. Even if it is a bit odd." He added before he gave Sakura a quick hug. Her cheeks grew dark as she hugged her friend back and when he drew back it was the old Naruto looking back at her. "Go get him, Sakura. And if you get to see what is under that mask of his, you must tell me what he has been hiding!"

Tears gathered in the edge of her eyes and she nodded as she gave Naruto another hug. "You are really something special Naruto."

"Thanks Sakura-chan." Naruto turned towards Ino and grinned. "I leave her to you then, make her look even more fantastic then she uses to."

"You don't have to tell me twice! Just give me some money and we will go."

"Money?!"

"Yeah we are of course paying for their lunches!" Ino said and held out her hand to Naruto. After he gave her some money Naruto bolted off and Ino turned towards Sakura. "Come on forehead, lets go and dress you up!" Ino grabbed Sakura's arm and dragged her away towards her apartment.

* * *

At around six o'clock Sakura stood outside the restaurant, her hair was tied into a stylish bun that Ino had spent half an hour to make perfect, her dress was in a Chinese style almost like the one Tenten used to wear, but it was red decorated with pink roses with a high cut at the side that made her legs look even longer than before and her shoes was perfectly cute black ballerinas. She had to fight Ino for almost ten minutes to let her wear them instead of the red stilettoes that had ten centimetres heel on them. No, she would already feel nervous without wondering if she would fall flat on her face. The night was slightly cold which made Sakura more than thankful that she remembered to bring her coat. Lights around her was lit and from the restaurant came the most wonderful scent of spices. Her mouth watered as she looked in to the windows and saw the perfect plates of Chinese food. Ino had really used her brain, not only had she reserved a table for two (she had reserved it in the name of Haruno Forehead. Sakura swore that she would take her revenge on Ino someday soon!) but she had also planned it so well that she told Kakashi to be there at four and then she told Sakura that she had reserved the table for six o'clock just so that Sakura wouldn't need to stand outside the restaurant waiting for to long. "I wonder where he is." Sakura mumbled to herself as she looked down the street. It was a calm night with not so much people outside for her to miss a silver-haired sexy god. So she was starting to feel a bit nervous about the fact that maybe Kakashi stood her up. _No don't even think that thought! He will show up soon, just wait a few more minutes._ Sakura exhaled and watched as the stars started to appear one by one on the clear sky. But as the seconds ticked by, she started to feel a bit more uncertain if Kakashi really would show up or if he decided to forget the whole thing.

"Yo."

Sakura jumped of surprise and turned around to see Kakashi standing there smiling his usual smile. After she had swallowed the slight shock of him standing there she smiled up at him. "Nice of you to finally stop by."

"Well I was here at four but then they told me that somehow the reservation had been made to six. I wonder how that could happened." He added and looked at the now blushing Sakura. "And then I decided to go home for the time being and take a nap. So to sum up Sakura, you were the one being late." His smug smile made Sakura's skin crawl and she felt a bit embarrassed that he had actually been on time for once in his life. _Maybe he wanted to see me so badly that he decided to come early._ "But I am happy that you did show up late. Now I can taunt you forever." Kakashi smiled his most evil grin and then he started to walk to the door leading into the restaurant. "Are you coming or are you going to stay out here?"

The smugness in his voice did not go unnoticed by Sakura who stormed passed him into the dinning hall. The interior was perfectly wonderful, golden dragons here and there, pillars placed over the room, the floor was of a dark colour wood and the seats was red velvet chairs with lights on each table. Romantic was only one word that could describe the place and Sakura once again thanked kami for having a friend like Ino. "I will tell them we are here." Sakura hurried to the desk where the hostess was standing. It was a petit woman with a blue Chinese dress that clung to her curvaceous body.

"What can I help you with?" She asked with a huge smile.

Sakura looked around and made sure that Kakashi was far away from her. "Well I had a reservation, for two under the name," She paused and sighed heavily. "Haruno Forehead."

The hostess looked at her with a wide smile and then she nodded. "Yes, ms Forehead it is nice to meet you. Please come this way." She added and took two menus from her table, she led Sakura and Kakashi down a beautiful decorated hall and after a while she stopped at a small but cosy table with a single rose sitting in a vase and a candle right next to it. "Here we are I hope you will enjoy our food. The waitress will soon come to take your order." She handed them the menus and then she walked back to her table.

Sakura's cheeks burned as she noticed the romantic atmosphere around them and once again she as grateful for Ino. If it wasn't for the name reservation she would have given her friend a gift of some sort. "Well let's be seated then."

Kakashi nodded and looked at Sakura as she was pealing of her coat from her body and hung it on the chair. His mouth watered but not from the delicious scent of food being prepared around him but from the view. Never in his life had he felt so drawn to look at a woman that just took of her coat. Her dress clung tightly to her body and whispered of a mature figure with perfect curves just in the right place. The high neckline and the perfectly made hairdo only made him wish he would ruin her. He wanted nothing else in that moment than to just defile her innocent and perfect imagine and that scared the living daylight out of him. _I should not be thinking of her in that way! She is so much younger than me! And she was my student. And she is to perfect for me. Stop thinking of wanting to rip that dress apart and,,, okay stop!_ Kakashi blushed as he sat down on his chair. He had for once forgone his vest, but he still wore the jounin attire of pants and shirt. Looking at Sakura now he felt a bit undressed. "We-Well I am starving so I think I will look at the menu." He took the huge book from the table and was impressed of how well made and luxurious it felt. The bindings were of some kind of leather and the pages wasn't laminated which was a slight surprise. "I think fried rice sounds good. What do you think Forehead?"

Sakura was so distracted by the looks of Kakashi to first notice the nickname coming from him. "What did you just called me?!" She asked and turned a evil eye towards the now sweating man.

"I just heard you Sakura, refer to yourself as forehead so I thought that maybe you wanted to be called that." He added but it was clear that he regretted his action.

Sakura stared at him for a moment and then she decided to drop it for the sake of not being throw out. "I think the fried rice sounds delicious and some noodles."

"Aren't you sick of noodles?" Kakashi asked with a slight smile.

"Only if it is ramen." Sakura answered.

They fell silent for a moment as they both continued to read their menu. "Oh kami!" Kakashi happened to say which caused Sakura to raise her head. "They have broiled saury with salt!"

"Yeah?" Sakura looked at him for a moment and waited for him to continue.

Kakashi blushed as he realized that he had spoken out loud. "It's my favourite food." He added and Sakura could see the pink tint over the rim of his mask.

"Oh, I didn't know." She looked down as the menu and smiled. After so many years she had finally gotten to know Kakashi's favourite meal. "Well to tell you the truth I make one hell of a broiled saury with salt."

This apparently made Kakashi perk up and he placed the menu down on the table and looked Sakura. "Oh? Then I hope you understand that the next time you do that I will be sneaking into your apartment to steal some of it." He added with a wink.

Sakura felt the blush spread on her face and plans of maybe making that meal everyday came to mind. "Well if I ever do that meal, I promise to send you a message." She looked down and hid behind her menu as she added. "You don't have to sneak in, you are always welcomed."

Kakashi's visible eye widened after hearing that and he continued to stare at her for a moment. "Are you ready to order?" A young girl asked as she appeared right next to their table.

Kakashi and Sakura told her the meals they wanted and after that she left them, but not before looking a bit longer at Kakashi than Sakura thought was okay.

After the waitress had walked away Sakura turned towards Kakashi who was looking at her with a stare that made Sakura's heart beat faster by the minute. "What?" Sakura asked while she tried to make the blush go down.

"Nothing I was just thinking that it was fun watching you stare down the waitress." Kakashi added with a slight smirk.

"What? I wasn't staring at her at all."

"Sure." Kakashi said and looked out of the window. Sakura looked at his reflection and felt like it was a dream come true, her sitting there with him on a date,,, well she thought of it like a date but she knew that he probably didn't. "Why is it that there only was a reservation for two? I thought the others would be joining us."

Sakura's eyes widened at that moment and stared at Kakashi as he turned towards her. Trying her best not to look like a scared puppy, Sakura swallowed her feelings of panic and gave Kakashi her best smile she could muster. "Well, Naruto and Yamato ate some food that Ino-pig prepared which caused them to fall sick. Aaand Sasuke is in the hospital because he and Sai fought each other for a,, a, , tomato." As she continued to speak she felt that every word coming from her mouth only made the story more stupid. _He will NEVER believe that. I am so screwed._

"Hmm." Kakashi rubbed his chin for a moment. "Well I feel sorry for them all to miss out on this. I have heard the food is really good at this place." He added with a smile that made Sakura's stomach fill with small butterflies. "And I, eh." Suddenly Sakura saw how he reached for something in his pocket. "I, um got you (cough) something for your birthday." With eyes plastered away from Sakura he stretched out his hand which held a beautiful box wrapped with a huge bow with the same colour as her hair. _This is so embarrassing, I never thought that I would be giving her a present,,,, well I knew I would give her it but not like this, in a romantic restaurant. Urgh maybe I should have waited a bit._ As he felt her fingers almost brush over his when she took the present out of his hand, Kakashi sneaked a peek at her and regretted it instantly. Sakura's green emerald eyes shone like stars as they stared to fill with unshed tears, her rosy lips were parted a slight bit and her cheeks was a beautiful shade of pink that just made her hair look even more shiny. _She is beautiful._ Kakashi felt his throat go dry as he continued too look at the pink haired angel in front of him. _Shit I need to look away, she is dragging me into some kind of weird,, TURN AWAY AND STOP LOOKING AT HER!_

"Kakashi thank you so much!" Sakura smiled so wide her cheeks started to hurt. "You didn't need to get me anything." Slowly, as to savour the moment she pulled of the bow and laid it down on the table before she carefully took of the lid of the box. "Oh, my KAMI! Thank you Kakashi it is the most beautiful necklace I have ever seen!" Sakura almost jumped out of her seat from the excitement. Every little part of the jewellery was like it was especially made just for her. She took it out of the box and looked at it more carefully. Kakashi held his breath as he saw how Sakura tried to get the necklace on herself. "Can you help me with this please?" She turned towards him with expectant eyes.

Kakashi felt his heart clench as he looked right into those deep green eyes. "Sure."

Sakura hurried to move her chair next Kakashi's and he helped her put it on her.

 _She feels so soft! Oh my Kami, why did I ever give her a necklace? I should have given her a ring,,, NO not a ring! But a scarf! Yes, a scarf would have been a perfect idea!_ Kakashi tried his best not to let his fingers touch much of her hair but if was impossible and his heart skipped several beats as he felt the softness of those pink strands. The scent of her strawberry shampoo filled his nose and he had to fight himself not to take a deep breath. _What is WRONG with me?!_

Just as they were done, Sakura turned around to look at Kakashi. Her whole appearance shone of gratefulness and she wanted nothing more than to hug him close. But she settled for a slight pat on his shoulder and then she was seated again.

The waitress arrived after just a few minutes later and served them their food, her eyes was stuck to the necklace and Sakura could have swore she saw the woman give her the stink eyes before she turned to leave. After she had followed the waitress with her eyes, Sakura turned back to the food and noticed how Kakashi had already eaten almost half of his share. "What?"

"Nothing, just don't choke on your food." Sakura said before she started to eat her part of the food. It tasted heavenly, the noodles were spicy, and the chicken was a perfect combination of taste and softness that only really good chiefs are able to do. "This is really tasty!"

Kakashi gave her his usual crescent eye crinkle. "I'm glad."

The silence that spread between them was pleasant and Sakura enjoyed just being there with Kakashi eating her food in a calm pace just to be sure to really savour the food and the company. _I could get used to do this. Just sitting here with Kakashi, eating food and having a nice time._ She dared a hasty look at Kakashi who was just placing his mask back to its regular place. _I don't believe it, I missed my opportunity to see his face once again, argh!_

* * *

When the dinner was eaten and paid with the money Sakura had gotten from Naruto and Ino, (it was surprisingly cheap for such a wonderful restaurant) Kakashi walked Sakura home. The night air had gotten a bit chillier and Sakura was so grateful for her coat. The stars shone over them as they walked the quiet street of Konoha. _This is sooo romantic!_ Sakura's heart fluttered as looked up at Kakashi as he walked beside her. They were soon going to be at her apartment and she felt a slight dread from every step, she wanted to be with him for a little while more and just wished her apartment was a lot further away from them.

"So, did you have a good time?" Kakashi asked and Sakura almost gasped, he wasn't known for starting a lot of conversations and she was surprised that he once again did just that with her. He was making an effort to speak to her and it really warmed her heart.

"At what?"

Kakashi glanced her way. "At the dinner, tonight, with me."

Her cheeks glowed in a dark red colour. "Ye-yeah I had a wonderful time with you, tonight, at the dinner, that I had with you." _Please stop talking!_

"I am grateful to hear that, Sakura." The way he said her name made a shiver go down her spine. "Well, I am pretty sure this is our stop."

Sakura looked up in shock to see her apartment door standing there in front of her. Disappointment filled her heart as she understood that now was the time they were going to go their separate ways. "Yeah, I guess it is." She muttered.

Kakashi looked down and saw the slight pout forming on her lips. She looked quite adorable with that little pout. _Damn, I just want to do something to make that pout even bigger! No, bad thoughts!_ And because of the thoughts running through his head Kakashi didn't notice what Sakura was about to do.

Quick like only a shinobi could be she stood up on her tippy toes and placed a kiss on Kakashi's cheek. It may only have been for five milliseconds but for him it felt like she had stayed next to him with her lips pressed against his cheek for five lifetimes. Not for the second time in his life did he curse the damn mask for existing and at the same time he worshipped it for being there otherwise he knew that Sakura would have seen the blush rising on his cheeks. Her lips felt so soft against him and even if that was the most innocent kiss he had ever received he still felt his body respond. _I need to get away from her right now or I don't know what will happen!_ With a blushing face and eyes averted down to the ground, Sakura leaned back and gave him a hurried "thank you" before she rushed into her apartment and closed her door with a bang. Kakashi stood still for a moment and just stared at that closed door, he could feel the chakra signature of Sakura still being next to it and he was slightly amused that she must have forgotten that as it was obvious that she leaned against it. It would have been so easy for him to just open the door and make Sakura fall right into his arms, but he decided against it and started to make his way down the calm street.

* * *

Sakura leaned against the door and took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself down. She had just kissed the one and only Kakashi! Well on the cheek but still it was something and she never in her life thought she would be able to do anything so daring, ever! She wasn't Ino or Tenten, she didn't do stuff like this on a regular basis. "Oh dear kami! I kissed him! And he didn't pull away from disgust!" Sakura squealed after she had made sure that he had walked away. "I need to call Pig!" Forgetting to take of her shoes, Sakura hurried through her apartment and towards her pink telephone standing there waiting for her at the kitchen table. After dialling the number, Sakura felt her heart speed up again. What if he wanted to do that again? He had said that he had a good time, right?

"Hi this is the Yamanaka residence, with who am I speaking?" It was obviously Ino's mother that had answered the phone and Sakura had to sigh as she had been prepared for Ino to be the one to answer.

"Hi Mrs Yamanaka, is Ino home? This is Sakura."

"Sakura dear? Oh how lovely to speak to you! I hope that you are doing fine on your own, I heard from your mother that you have once again gotten a raise at the hospital." It was amazing how identical Ino and her mother was at gathering information and Sakura smiled to herself picturing Ino in her mothers age.

"Yeah, that is true and I am doing just fine." Sakura answered and almost started to laugh as she heard Ino-pig yelling at her mother for talking with her friend on the phone. Listening carefully to the conversation, Sakura was pleased to hear that Ino had apparently won.

"Forehead! How are you? Did it go alright tonight? Do you want me to come over?!"

Laughing from how hyped her friend sounded, Sakura tried to answer all her questions. "I am fine, just like I told your mother. Everything went very well and you are welcomed to come over if you like."

"Be there in one minute!" Ino yelled and slammed the phone down so hard that there was an echo at Sakura's end.

Sakura looked down at the phone for a moment before she put it down and started to make herself comfortable, because she knew that once Ino came, there were going to be a LOT of talking. With hurried moves she stripped down to nothing and threw on a pyjama top and comfy shorts.

 _Knock, knock, knock_. "FOREHEAD!" _Knock, knock, knock._ Was heard from her entrance and Sakura hurried to let the screaming moron inside.

"Pig, you know I have neighbours, right?" Sakura asked as she led in her blonde friend.

"I know but I was too excited to care!" The blonde woman jumped into the apartment with a squeal and hurried to throw off her shoes beside the door before she jumped into the sofa. "Tell me EVERYTHING!"

Smiling like a moron Sakura walked into the living room holding a bag of chips that was still left from her party and two glasses of wine. Ino thanked Sakura as she took the wine and tasted its soft fruity flavour. "Well it all began with,,,," After that Sakura started to retelling the story of her evening with Kakashi.


End file.
